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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


DUCK  SHOOTING  ^ 
HUNTING  SKETCHES 


By  WILLIAM  C.iHAZELTON 


Being  Narratives  of   Duck-Hunting  Experiences;  Habits  of   Our  Wild- 
Fowl  and  Methods  of  Hunting  Them;  Facts  Concerning  Their 
Migration,  Breeding  Grounds,  Food,  Etc.     Also  a  Few 
Short  Articles  Concerning  Some  Other  of  Our 
Game  Birds,  and  Several  Interesting 
Anecdotes  of  the  Hunting  Dog. 


CHICAGO 
191 5 


COPYRIGHT,     1915,    BY     W.     C.     HAZELTON. 

Cliicago,  Illinois. 


Used  by  courtesy  of   The    Peteis  ("lutiidije  Coiiipjiny. 


This   Ixiok   is   respect  fully   dedicnted   to 

Ernest  McGraffey,  Victoria,  British  Columbia; 
J.  F.  Parks,  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota; 
Dr.  William  L.  Baum,  Chicago,  Illinois: 
D.  S.  Sattler,  Chicag"o,  Illinois: 

and   to   the 
Sportsmen  and  Duck  Hunters  of  America. 


3^H 


There  is  a  comradeship  among  sportsmen  and  hunters  that  warms  the  heart. 


Quail  SliootiiiiJ    in   Indiana  Corn-Fields,  Ernest  MeGaflfey. 


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This  l)ook  is  jtresented  to  the  siiortsmeii  aiid  (hick  huntors 
of  America  as  the  combination  of  the  efforts  of  several 
writers.     It  is  a  council  of  the  experts. 

Former  works  of  this  character  gave  a  description  of 
the  plumage  of  wild-fowl.  I  think  I  have  adopted  a  far 
better  plan  by  giving  a  colored  plate  of  the  bird  in  its 
natural  colors.  I  have  also  added  plates  of  several  other 
of   our   principal   game  birds  besides   wild-fowl. 

I  have  to  thank  the  following  writers  for  assisting  me: 

Ernest  McGaffey,  Victoria,  British  Columbia. 

Ross  KiNER,  Prophetstown,   Illinois. 

R.  P.  Holland,  Atchison,  Kansas. 

J.  F.  Parks.  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota. 

Herbert  K.  Job,  West  Haven,  Connecticut. 
Edmund  W.  Weis,  M.  D.,     Ottawa,  Illinois. 

Flossie  Ray,  Olive  Hill,  Kentucky. 

George  Tj.  Hopper.  Buckabush,  Washington. 


TliG  ont-donr  ninti,  aftor  all,  is  the  one  with  lieart. — Ernefit  McGaffe\i. 


"After  the  Day's  Sjxnt   is  Over,"'  Canvasbacks,  Long  Lake,  Illinois. 


The  Art  of  Duck  Shooting — Ernest  McGaffey 1 

The  Canvasbaek — William  C.  HazeUon 8 

Duck  Shooting  as  a  Pastime — William  C.  Hazelton 10 

My  First  Duck — Boss  Kiner 11 

The  Calls  of  Birds— William  C.  Hazelton 13 

Mallard  Shooting  at  Coke's  Bayou — William  C.  HazeUon 14 

The  Plumage  of  Wild-Fowl — William  C.  HazeUon 15 

The  Gadwall,  or  Gray  Duck — William  C.  HazeUon 16 

The  Art  of  Calling  Ducks— K.  P.  Holland 17 

The  Green  Wing  TeaA—W iUiam,  C.  HazeUon 20 

A  Duck  Shoot  on  the  North  Platte  River— J.  F.  Parks 21 

Duck  Shooting  on  the  New  England  Sea  Coast — Herbert  K.  Job 27 

The  Pintail— William  C.  HazeUon 28 

The  Pleasures  of  Wild-Fowling — Dr.  Edmund  W.  Weis 29 

A  Duck  Hunt  on  the  Kankakee — William  C.  HazeUon 33 

The  Woodcock — William  C.  HazeUon 38 

Reminiscences  of  Shooting  on  Chesapeake  Bay — George  L.  Hopper 39 

The  Nesting  Season  of  Wild  Ducks — Herbert  E.  Job 43 

Camping  Along  the  Illinois  in  "the  Good  Old  Days" — T.  S.  Van  Di/ke 45 

The  Tree  Ducks  of  South  America,  Mexico  and  Texas — William  C.  HazeUon.  46 

The  Tale  of  a  Swan— William  C.  HazeUon 47 

In  Fair  Kentucky^ — Flossie  Bay 49 

On  the  Marsh — Boss  Kiner 51 

Tlie  Chesapeake  Bay  Dog — J.  F.  Parks 53 

A  Lucky  Half  Hour  With  the  Blue-Wings— William  C.  HazeUon 59 

The  Mallard— William  C.  HazeUon 62 

An  Eighteen-Mile  Row  and  Some  Mallards — William  C.  HazeUon 63 

A  Narrow  Escape — William.  C.  HazeUon 65 

The  Wood  Diick— William  C.  HazeUon 66 

On  the  Migration  of  Wild-Fowl — WiUia^n  C.  HazeUon 67 

Passing  of  the  Passenger  Pigeon — William  C.  HazeUon 70 

The  Dog  Who  Was  Determined  to  Go  Hunting — William  C.  HazeUon 71 

On  the  Grand  Old  Illinois — William  C.  HazeUon 73 

The  Use  of  Decoys — William  C.  HazeUon 74 

Mallard  Shooting  in  the  Overflowed  Timher—William  C.  HazeUon 77 

The  Blue-Wine  Teal — William  C.  HazeUon 78 


INDEX. 

The  Passing  of  the  Marshland — Boss  Einer 79 

Senachwine  Lake  in  the  Last  Days  of  the  Old  Muzzleloader — T.  S.  Van  Dijhe.  8] 

The  Prairie  Chicken,  or  Pinnated  Grouse — IVilliam  C.  Bazelton 82 

A  Shot  at  a  Prairie  Chicken — Boss  Kiner 83 

The  Wild  Goose  Who  Lost  His  Bearings — Williom  C.  Hazelton 84 

In  November — Eoss  Kiner gg 

The  Old  Squaw,  or  Long-Tailed  Duck — William  C.  Hazeltoii 88 

Hunting  the  Old  Squaw  Duck  on  the  Eastern  Sea  Coast — Herbert  E.  Job ....  89 

Three  Empty  Shells — Three  Mallard  Ducks — William  C.  Eazelton 90 

On  the  Habits  of  Various  Varieties  of  Water -Fowl — William  C.  Haselton ...  92 

The  American  Widgeon,  or  Bald-Pate — William  C.  Eazelton 94 

Old  Times  on  the  Green  Eiver  Marshes — Boss  Einer 95 

The  Hunting  Dog — Ernest  McGaffey 95 

The  Quail — William  C.  Hazeltoii 98 

Whirrin '  Wings — Flossie  Bay 99 

A  Stormy  Crossing  on  the  Illinois — William  C.  Eazelton 101 

The  New  England  Euffed  Grouse — C.  B.  Wliitford 103 

Shooting  the  Bluebill  Over  Decoys — William  C.  Eazelton 106 

Hunting  Bluebills  in  New  England  Waters — Eerbert  K.  Job 107 

The  Old-Time  Market  Hunter— William  C.  Eazelton 108 

The  Goldeneye — William  C.  Eazelton 110 

Observations  and  Conclusions  on  Duckologj' — Dr.  Ferdinand  Brown Ill 

Wild-Fowl  in  a  Storm  on  the  Massachusetts  Sea  Coast — Eerbert  K.  Job 114 

One  of  America's  Most  Famous  Duck  Hunters — Williavr  C.  Eazelton 115 

The  Wilson  Snipe,  or  Jack  Snipe — William  C.  Eazelton 116 

Propagation  of  Wild-Fowl  by  the  United  States  Government — E.  K.  Job.  ...  117 

Tribute  to  the  Dog's  Faithfulness — E.  W.  Thomas 120 

The  Hedhesid— William  C.  Eazelton 122 

Favorite  Foods  of  the  Wild  Duck — Willia7n  C.  Eazelton 123 

Some  American  Ornithologists — William  C.  Eazelton 128 

When  I  Could  Have  Won  First  Prize  (and  Did  ISlot)— William  C.  Eazelton.  .  129 

A  Journey  on  the  Mississippi — John  L.  Matthews 132 

Making  A  Double — William  Bruce  Leffingwell 134 

Queer  Experience  of  a  Duck  Hunter — William.  C.  Eazelton 135 

An  Interesting  Trip  to  Florida — Flossie  Bay 137 

Notes — William  C.  Eazelton 139 

With  the  Canvasbacks  at  Aux  Sable  Lake — William  C.  Eazelton 1 40 

' '  Jack  '  '—Wtlliam  C.  Eazelton 142 


'THE  OLD  RELIABLE  CHESAPEAKE." 


"Water  King."      (8449,  P.  D.  S.  B.) 
("ourtesy  of  L.  K.  Mason,  Hastings,  Iowa. 


The  Art  of  Duck  Shooting. 


The  wild  rice  dips,  the  wild  rice  bends, 

And  rustles  in  the  breeze. 
As  down  the  marsh  the  west  wind  sends, 

Its  message  from  the  trees. 

— Poems  of  Gun  and  Eod. 


BY    ERNEST    MCGAFFEY. 


Duck  shooting  is  a  science ;  likewise  an  art.  The  seasoned 
duck  shooter  smiles  at  the  quail  hunter,  the  snipe  shooter, 
and  the  man  who  eases  around  in  a  "buck-board"  after 
prairie  chickens.  They  are  mostly  "parlor"  shooters  in  his 
opinion.  "Whisper,"  now — men  take  their  lives  in  their 
hands  quite  a  bit  who  follow  the  sport  of  duck  shooting. 
The  marshes  and  lakes  take  something  of  a  toll  of  human 
life  in  that  respect,  and  more  than  a  few  good  staunch  fel- 
low^s  have  gone  under  in  the  "sink-holes,"  perished  from 
exposure,  or  drowned  in  sight  of  shore  while  following  their 
favorite  hobby.  You  need  to  be  some  resemblance  to  a  man 
to  go  after  ducks  year  in  and  year  out. 

Spring  shooting  has  mostly  been  cut  out;  and  a  good  thing, 
too.  Some  lively  sessions  I  have  seen  occasionally,  in  the 
Spring  time,  when  the  ice  came  down  on  the  "blinds." 
Narrow  squeaks  at  times,  and  rowing  aimlessly  in  sudden 
blizzards,  stiff  fingers  grabbing  at  ice-mailed  decoys,  and 
squalls  that  made  gathering  dead  birds  no  child's  play. 
Well,  I've  weathered  it,  but  I  just  make  bold  to  say  in 
passing  that  you  need  to  be  a  good  swimmer,  a  good  man 


Z  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

with  a  pair  of  oars,  and  as  tough  as  a  leather  hinge  to  stand 
the  racket. 

Fall  shooting  isn't  quite  as  dangerous,  but  you  have  to 
watch  the  weather  conditions,  and  mind  your  eye  generally. 
Duck  shooting  has  so  many  angles,  that  it  has  both  the  safe 
and  easy  degrees  as  well  as  the  other  ones,  and  by  and  large 
it  is  the  most  fascinating  sport  of  all  with  the  shot-gun. 

Shooting  over  decoys,  "pass"  shooting,  "jumping"  ducks, 
"tolling"  ducks,  and  shooting  from  a  battery,  make  up  the 
principal  ways  of  getting  the  birds. 

Decoy  shooting  can  be  had  with  either  wooden  or  canvas 
decoys,  or  live  wild  decoys.  These  latter  are  mostly  used  in 
mallard  shooting.  Wooden  decoys  are  mainly  used  in  shoot- 
ing bluebills,  canvasback  and  redheads,  although  many  mal- 
lards and  teal  are  shot  over  wooden  decoys.  Bluebills  and 
ringbills  decoy  easiest.  Mallards  come  in  to  live  wild  mal- 
lard decoys  where  they  would  not  look  at  the  wooden  coun- 
terfeits. Pintails  decoy  to  mixed  pintails  and  mallard  de- 
coys, and  teal  will  come  to  all  teal,  or  a  sprinkling  of  teal 
and  mallard.  Goldeneye,  ruddies,  butterball,  widgeon,  wood 
ducks,  spoonbills  and  other  "trash"  ducks  I  have  killed  in- 
termittently over  various  decoys.  Canvasbacks  require  all 
canvasback  decoys,  and  redheads  decoy  best  to  redhead  de- 
coys, although  some  canvasbacks  will  not  hurt  in  the  flock 
of  decoys. 

"Pass"  shooting  only  requires  good  markmanship  and  a 
close-shooting,  hard-hitting  gun.  A  reliable  retriever  is  also 
a  necessity  in  this  branch  of  the  sport.  It  is  simply 
finding  out  where  the  birds  come  and  go  from  one  body  of 
water  to  another  and  stationing  yourself  on  dry  ground 
and  shooting  them  on  the  flight.    Winged  birds  are  readily 


Teal   Ducks,  Thompson's  Lake,   Illinois,    Kiiiest  MfGaffey. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  3 

gathered  by  a  trained  dog,  and  the  sport  is  one  mainly  de- 
pendent on  accurate  shooting. 

Jumping  ducks  may  be  done  by  going  in  on  the  compara- 
tively shallow  overflowed  river  bottoms  or  along  the  edges 
of  lakes  and  sloughs,  and  shooting  the  birds  as  they  jump. 
Or  it  may  be  practiced  from  a  boat,  with  one  man  to  paddle 
at  the  stern  of  the  skiff  or  duck-boat  and  a  man  in  the  bow 
to  do  the  shooting.  Or  a  man  may  paddle  about  by  himself 
and  drop  the  paddle  as  the  ducks  climb  up. 

Tolling  ducks  is  to  hide  in  the  cover  along  shore  and  draw 
the  birds  within  gunshot  by  having  a  dog  trained  to  the  job 
lure  them  in  by  jumping  about  on  the  shore.  I  never  had 
any  experience  at  this  style  of  duck  shooting. 

Battery  shooting,  or  "sink-box"  shooting,  is  by  having  a 
box  weighted  and  sunk  almost  to  the  water's  edge  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  big  flock  of  decoys.  At  the  birds  come  in  the 
shooter  rises  from  his  cramped  position  in  the  box  and  fires. 
It  is  an  effective  way  of  getting  ducks  when  they  won't  come 
in  to  the  shore  "blinds,"  but  keep  to  the  middle  of  the  large 
lakes. 

In  all  grades  and  kinds  of  duck  shooting  the  knowledge 
necessary  of  the  birds'  habits,  the  effect  of  the  weather  on 
their  flight,  where  they  are  feeding,  the  manner  of  building 
a  "blind"  and  setting  out  decoys,  the  best  spot  for  a 
"blind,"  the  shifting  of  a  "blind"  when  the  wind  shifts, 
the  way  to  sit  and  keep  still  in  a  "blind,"  the  rule  in  shoot- 
ing from  "blinds,"  and  hundreds  of  other  lesser  and  greater 
vital  requirements  make  up  what  might  be  called  the  scien- 
tific duck  shooter's  arbitraiy  book  of  rules. 

Almost  any  man  can  break  a  few  hundred  blue  rocks,  buy 
a  good  dog  and  do  something  at  quail  without  further  delay, 


4  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES. 

especially  if  lie  goes  out  with  some  one  who  understands  the 
way  to  get  "Bob  White."  But  each  duck  shooter  must  learn 
the  inner  peculiarities  of  the  duck-shooting  game  for  him- 
self. And  each  year  that  he  goes  out  he  will  pick  up  new 
wrinkles  from  some  grizzly  old  "pusher,"  or  from  some 
one  of  the  canny  boys  that  lie  around  the  lakes. 

You  may  shoot  fifty  pintail  off  of  a  high,  brush-built 
"blind"  from  a  comfortable  platform  one  day,  and  the  next 
day,  with  a  still,  bright  day  succeeding  a  dark  and  blo^\^^ 
yesterday,  be  compelled  to  take  a  narrow  duck-boat  and  go 
out  in  open  water  and  build  a  grass  "blind"  almost  level 
with  your  boat  to  get  any  shooting.  Ducks  are  queer  "crit- 
ters," and  I  have  seen  them  do  unaccountable  things. 

I  have  been  at  the  lakes  w^hen  some  seasoned  old  pirate 
would  sit  grumbling  around  the  fire  in  early  Spring,  only 
deserting  his  warm  place  to  go  outside  and  look  at  the  sky, 
or  spit  on  his  finger  and  hold  it  up  to  see  which  way  the 
wind  was  blowing.  Meanwhile  the  other  not  so  hardened 
shooters  would  be  working  their  heads  off  to  bring  in  a 
dozen  ducks  a  day.  And  then  some  morning  old  Groucher 
would  be  missing  and  would  come  at  night  loaded  to  the 
stumbling  point  with  ducks.  He  had  been  studjdng  the 
weather,  the  flight,  the  "signs,"  and  when  he  got  ready  had 
poled  and  cut  his  w^ay  in  to  where  the  birds  were  feeding 
and  had  made  a  "killing." 

That,  of  course,  was  in  the  old  days.  Days  when  there 
was  no  "limit,"  either  to  the  birds,  or  to  the  number  you 
could  shoot. 

Canvasback  shooting  over  decoys  is  the  acme  of  the  sport. 
Shooting  over  live  wild  mallard  decoys  runs  it  a  close  second. 
Teal  shooting  is  good  sport,  and  bluebill  shooting  over  de- 


Live  Wild  Mallard  Decoys  Calling  in  Mallard  Drake,  Tiliiiois  Eiver  Country. 
Photo  by  Vincent  Taylor,  Chicago. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  5 

coys,  with  occasional  ringbills,  widgeon,  pintail,  teal  or  even 
mallards  dropping  in  at  times  is  exciting  work.  There  is  no 
branch  of  the  sport  which  does  not  have  its  particular  charm. 
When  the  Kankakee  marshes  were  in  their  prime  a  man 
conld  get  all  the  ducks  he  could  pack  in  by  knocking  over  a 
few  birds  and  setting  them  up  for  decoys.  Now  the  corn- 
fields stretch  where  the  marshes  rippled,  and  ducks,  except 
the  barn-yard  variet}-,  are  a  curiosity. 

For  the  deep-water  ducks,  canvasbacks,  redheads,  bluebills, 
etc.j  lake  shooting  is  more  generally  followed,  while  timber 
shooting  along  the  rivers  in  the  overflowed  river  bottoms  is 
where  the  best  mallard,  pintail  and  teal  shooting  is  had. 
Some  lakes  give  good  teal  shooting,  but  they  like  the  timber 
pretty  well. 

All  sorts  of  rules  have  been  given,  some  of  them  based  on 
methods  of  apparently  mathematical  exactness  as  to  how  to 
hold  3^our  gun  to  shoot  ducks.  The  fact  is,  the  shots  vary 
as  the  flight  of  the  birds  does.  To  get  the  center  of  the 
charge  where  the  duck  will  be  as  his  line  of  flight  crosses  the 
flight  of  the  shot  is  the  trick,  and  it  requires  years  of  j)rac- 
tice,  and  a  natural  adaptability  to  master  the  secret.  T  have 
known  men  who  were  good  shots  at  everything  but  ducks. 
And  I  have  never  known  a  high-class  duck  shot  who  could 
not  quickly  qualify  as  a  shot  at  any  kind  of  flying  game. 
The  reason  for  this  is  that  duck  shooting  gives  all  the 
angles,  towering,  rocketing,  right  and  left  quarterers, 
straight-aways,  right  and  left  quartering  towerers,  incomers, 
straight  overhead  shots,  incoming  left  and  right  quartering 
shots,  dropping  shots,  straight-up  rising  shots,  twisters  of 
every  description,  etc. 

Ten  or  twenty  years'  practice  at  these  angles  either  de- 


b  DUCK    SHOOTIlSrG    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

velops  the  crack  duck-shot  or  it  develops  the  duck-shot  who 
finds  his  best  lines  and  sticks  as  much  as  possible  to  them. 
As  the  shooting  is  practically  open,  and  as  birds  often  come 
in  and  go  out  from  a  "blind"  with  a  variety  of  movement, 
a  man  can  pick  his  moment  to  shoot. 

For  instance,  if  he  is  weak  on  incomers,  he  can  wait  until 
a  bird  swings.  If  he  is  good  at  straight-aways  he  can  pick 
birds  in  the  flock  as  they  are  going  away.  The  high-class 
shot  takes  them  any  way.  But  even  a  medium  good  shot 
can  make  a  very  respectable  showing  by  choosing  his  birds 
and  his  time  to  shoot. 

The  building  of  a  "blind"  and  the  setting  out  of  decoys 
is  the  last  word  in  the  art  of  duck  shooting.  It  is  so  won- 
derfully well  done  in  the  case  of  the  expert,  and  so  bungingly 
executed  in  the  hands  of  the  tyro,  that  there  is  no  possible 
comparison  between  the  two.  Color,  size,  fidelity  to  the  sur- 
rounding cover,  and  easiness  of  coming  in  and  going  out  are 
vital  features  of  a  well-builded  "blind."  Accuracy  as  to 
the  general  habits  of  the  birds  is  to  be  followed  in  the  set- 
ting out  of  the  decoys,  some  species  being  prone  to  closer 
formation  than  others,  and  more  regular  alignment. 

Duck  calls  are  very  successfully  used  in  mallard  shooting, 
and  when  wooden  decoys  are  used  they  are  often  exceedingly 
handy.  In  shooting  over  live  wild  mallard  decoys,  the  decoys 
will  do  the  "calling,"  as  they  join  in  the  sport  with  a  most 
uncanny  delight.  It  is  rather  a  shock  for  the  novice  to  see 
a  drake  wild  decoy  raising  himself  in  the  water  to  call  down 
some  unsuspecting  comrade  from  the  far  North,  and  the 
new-comers  rarely  fail  to  set  their  wings  and  come  in  fra- 
ternizingly  to  the  wild  decoys. 

' '  An '   if   that   ain  't   eheatiu '   why   I  'd   like  to  know. ' ' 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  7 

Splendid  mallard  shooting-  is  sometimes  had  in  the  wet 
corn-fields,  and  in  the  stubbles,  particularly  in  the  corn- 
fields. With  live  deco^^s  and  a  shock  of  corn  to  hide  in,  a 
man  can  get  the  cream  of  the  shooting  at  times. 

East,  West,  North  and  South  the  tendency  is  to  restrict 
the  limit.  I  think  this  is  all  right  up  to  a  certain  point.  But 
fix  a  season  limit,  say  seventy-five  birds,  and  let  a  man  kill 
his  limit  in  a  day  if  he  can,  and  if  he  wants  to.  Men  who 
have  followed  the  sport  know  how  many  days  are  drawn 
blank  in  the  shooting,  and  if  a  day  does  come  when  the  con- 
ditions are  all  right  it  is  more  or  less  of  a  joke  to  shoot  ten 
birds  a  day.  Make  the  limit  even  fifty  birds,  but  don't  put 
the  lid  on  at  ten  birds  a  day.  A  man  might  get  that  many 
ducks  at  one  shot,  teal  particularly. 

Anyway,  what  is  that  long,  trailing  ribbon  over  the  trees, 
dipping,  winding  and  curling  about  the  river  bottom!  Mal- 
lards, by  all  that's  lucky!  The  northern  flight  is  on.  Get 
out  the  12-gauge,  sort  over  the  shells,  break  it  gently  to  the 
Missus  and  receive  her  (call  it  benediction)  and  set  the 
alarm  clock  for  3 :  30  a.  m.  The  old  instincts  are  alive  again, 
the  old  blood  is  jumping,  the  duck-shooter's  primal  savage 
characteristics  are  beginning  to  assert  themselves.  Yes, 
there's  nothing  like  it,  and  I  have  "followed  the  gun"  for 
forty-three  years,  come  next  Micklemas,  or  any  other  Mas 
that  happens  to  be  roosting  about  the  premises. 


8  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Canvasback. 


' '  King  of  the  Game  Birds  of  the  Continent. ' ' 


The  royal  bird!  What  a  keen,  racy-looking  fellow  he  is! 
Every  inch  of  him  a  thoroughbred! 

The  canvasback  is  undoubtedly  the  most  wary  of  all  our 
wild-fowl  and  his  keenness  of  vision  is  only  equalled  by  the 
goldeneye.  His  flesh  depends  for  its  flavor  on  the  food  that 
he  eats,  and  since  for  so  many  years  he  fed  in  the  localities 
where  the  so-called  wild  celerv  abounded,  which  is  reallv  a 
water  grass,  his  reputation  was  gained  as  a  fine-flavored  bird. 
There  is  a  doubt,  however,  whether  he  is  any  more. of  a  deli- 
cacy than  other  members  of  the  duck  family  who  have  op- 
portunities to  feed  on  wild  celery. 

The  Chesiapeake  Bay  in  the  East;  Currituck,  Pamlico  and 
Albermarle  Sounds  in  the  South ;  and  Lake  Koshkonong,  Wis- 
consin, and  Fox  and  Long  Lakes  in  Illinois,  are  noted  resorts 
of  the  canvasback. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  watching  the  canvasbacks  at  Lin- 
coln Park,  Chicago.  There  are  many  varieties  of  live  wild 
ducks  there,  but  the  canvasback  plainly  shows  he  is  not  an 
ordinary  bird. 

AVhile  shooting  one  morning  on  Swan  Lake,  near  Henry, 
Illinois,  many  years  ago,  I  was  stationed  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  Abe  Kleinman,  the  veteran  duck  hunter  of  the 
Calumet  marshes,  and  I  could  see  most  of  his  shooting,  and 
he  killed  three  dozen  canvasbacks  before  11  o'clock.  His 
decoys  were  set  near  shore,  where  the  birds  were  feeding. 
During  the  balance  of  the  time  that  I  was  shooting  at  Swan 


CI 


n 
-~,  > 
>  z 

-"  a:  ca 
X  <    > 

7i 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  9 

Lake  the  canvasbacks  came  no  more  to  this  particular  spot 
to  feed.  Abe  had  "burnt  them  out."  I  killed  thirty  red- 
heads and  bluebills  that  same  morning. 

At  this  time  the  shooting  at  Swan  Lake  and  Senachwine 
in  the  overflowed  bottom  and  timber  lands  resembled  a 
battle.  The  shooting  was  continuous  and  ducks  were  in 
sight  in  some  direction  nearly  all  the  time.  The  flooded  ter- 
ritory, including  the  main  channel  of  the  river,  was  from  2 
to  5  miles  wide.  The  river  banks  were  overflowed  all  along 
the  river  except  at  a  few  high  spots. 

I  always  use  canvasback  decoys,  with  a  few  bluebills,  for 
deep-water  ducks,  and  have  never  owned  a  redhead  decoy. 
Many  times  have  I  picked  out  a  few  canvasbacks  from  a  large 
flock  of  bluebills  when  they  would  come  into  the  decoys.  I 
doubt  whether  the  canvasbacks  would  have  come  in  by  them- 
selves, but  they  came  in  with  the  bluebills. 

The  canvasback  is  always  uneasy  and  restless  on  rainy 
days,  constantly  flying  about,  and  it  is  on  these  days  that  the 
best  shooting  is  to  be  obtained. 

The  main  body  of  birds  will  be  always  found  well  away 
from  shore  on  some  large  lake  or  river.  At  intervals  during 
the  day,  small  parties  of  ducks,  as  if  unable  to  withstand  the 
temptation  any  longer,  will  leave  the  main  body  of  birds  and 
fly  towards  the  shallower  water  near  shore  to  feed.  Then  if 
the  hunter  has  his  decoys  set  in  the  right  spot,  he  will  have 
some  fine  sport. 

AVhen  canvasbacks  are  disturbed  much  they  become  very 
cautious,  remaining  out  in  open  water  during  the  day  and 
only  approaching  the  shore  at  night  to  feed. 


10  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Duck  Shooting-  As  a  Pastime. 


To  follow  the  way  the  wild  duck  takes, 
To  the  twilight  of  the  grassy  lakes, 
To  the  glory  of  the  Yukon  hills. 

— A  Day  on  the  Yukon. 


What  sport  can  be  compared  to  duck  shooting  for  real 
enjoyment  with  a  gun? 

Hunting  quail  with  a  good  dog  is  enjoyable,  of  course, 
and  also  prairie  chickens  and  ruffed  grouse  furnish  excellent 
sport,  but  for  real  pleasure  what  can  equal  hunting  the 
various  varieties  of  wild-fowl? 

One  of  the  greatest  fascinations  of  wild-fowl  shooting  is 
its  constantly  changing  conditions  of  weather  and  many  dif- 
ferent species  of  wild  ducks  almost  daily  met  with.  Today 
you  may  be  shooting  over  decoys,  tomorrow  on  a  duck-pass 
or  flyway,  and  the  day  following  "jumping"  ducks  from  the 
borders  of  a  marsh  or  river. 

Duck  shooting  is  also  a  greater  test  of  your  skill  with  the 
gun,  for  you  get  shots  at  many  different  angles  and  at 
varying  speeds.     The  wild  duck  is  a  marvelously  swift  flier. 

And  on  the  splendid  fall  days  all  Nature  is  at  her  best,  and 
could  anything  be  more  invigorating  to  your  health  and  tend- 
ing toward  longevity  than  to  cast  aside  your  cares  and  go 
hunting? 

I  have  memories  of  many  glorious  days  spent  on  the  Des 
Plaines,  Kankakee,  Illinois,  Platte  and  Missouri  Rivers  and 
the  lakes  of  Wisconsin.  The  Illinois  River  is  my  favorite 
hunting  ground,  however.  Coke's  Bayou,  Aux  Sable  Island, 
Groiose  Island,  Twin  Islands,  Bardwell's  Island,  Sugar  Island, 
Aux  Sable  Lake,  Senachwine  Lake,  S^van  Lake,  and  many 
adjacent  localities  were  places  of  keen  sport  to  me. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  11 

My  First  Duck. 


The  noisy  bittern  wheeled  his  spiral  way. — Longfellow. 


BY   BOSS    KINER. 


Do  you  remember  the  very  first  duck  you  ever  brought  to 
bag?  You  don't?  Has  it  been  so  very  long  ago,  and  you 
have  killed  so  many  since,  that  you  have  forgotten  quite? 
Well,  I  do.  Many  and  many  the  time  had  the  single-barrel 
muzzle-loader  roared,  spitting  fleecy  smoke  and  shredded 
newspaper  in  the  wake  of  a  small  charge  of  5's,  trying  to 
overtake  a  bunch  of  scurrying,  cloud-scraping  pintail,  or 
neck-craning,  towering  mallard,  but  the  duck  was  never 
where  the  shot  was,  and  the  shot  was  never  where  the  duck 
was,  and  beside,  like  the  flea,  a  boy  is  never  still,  you  know, 
and  after  I  stood  and  crouched  in  one  location  as  long  as  I 
could  stand  it,  I  would  move,  then,  and  not  till  then,  would 
the  ducks  come  and  wheel  and  circle  over  the  very  spot  that 
I  had  just  deserted. 

It  was  March,  a  wind-blown  day  with  winter's  chill  still 
gripping.  The  muzzle-loader  was  at  home  behind  the  kitchen 
door,  and  in  my  hands  was  a  Remington  12-gauge  hammer 
gTin;  not  the  model  with  the  low  circular  hammers,  but  an 
earlier  one,  black  barrels,  with  high  hammers  that  stood 
upright  like  rabbit's  ears.  My  stepfather  had  borrowed  the 
gun  for  me  from  Billy  the  liveryman. 

All  that  day  I  had  chased  here  and  there,  up  and  down  the 
river  flats,  in  the  vast  Jefferd's  and  Pritchard  pastures, 
whanging  at  pintails  way  too  high,  cutting  futile  holes  in 
the  air  yards  behind  the  rocking  bluebills.     Along  toward 


12  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

the  late  afternoon  I  started  homeward,  sometimes  in  the 
rutty,  chuck-holed  country  road,  at  times  angling  across  the 
bare  March  fields. 

Passing  one  farmhouse  perched  upon  the  brow  of  a  barren 
hill  of  sand,  just  at  the  supper  hour,  a  little  lad  came  out 
and  started  toward  the  pole  and  slough-hay  roofed  barn, 
singing:  "Come  to  the  house,  Papa,  and  get  a  piece  of 
Yankee  bread  and  butter."  Hungry!  So  hmigry  that  I 
thought  I  would  never  reach  home.  At  the  eastern  line  of 
Fritzche's  pasture  grew  a  long  high  row  of  willow.  I  ap- 
proached them  with  caution,  on  the  other  side  was  an  over- 
flowed ditch,  and  once  upon  a  time  in  the  Springs  that  had 
gone  before,  I  had  bellied  up  to  that  fence  corner,  sneaked 
up  on  what  looked  to  me  like  a  million  ducks,  poked  the  old 
single-barrel  through  the  fence,  and,  "She  snapped!" 

I  approached  the  willows  Indian-like.  There  were  no 
ducks  in  the  ditch,  so.  Remington  across  my  knees  I  sat 
dowTi  behind  the  fence  to  rest  awhile.  There  came  a  "We-ee 
We-ee"  of  slanting  wings,  and  a  pair  of  weary  pintail  came 
to  rest  not  30  yards  away.  "Buck  fever?"  Yes,  I  had  it, 
but  in  the  end  that  pair  of  dancing  blackish  barrels  came 
for  one  brief  instant  square  between  those  w^ary  ducks, 
"Whang!"  Picture  to  yourself  a  breathless  boy  racing 
around  the  end  of  that  willow  fence,  gaining  the  other  side 
just  as  the  hen  struggled  into  the  air.  "Whang!"  breathless 
or  no  it  was  a  clean  kill,  and  then,  regardless  of  chill  wind 
and  icy  water,  heedless  of  short-legged  boots,  and  the  danger 
of  pneumonia,  that  boy  waded  waist  deep  and  hand  retrieved 
his  game. 

That  never-to-be-forgotten  night  he  swaggered  into  Gres- 
ser's  store  and  flopping  down  that  luckless  pair  of  pintail, 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  13 

received  in  coin  of  the  U.  S.  A.  the  princely  sum  of  two  bits. 
Why  didn't  he  eat  them?  Why?  Because  only  by  swagger- 
ing into  the  store  and  selling  his  game  there  before  the 
assembled  clientele,  could  he  at  one  bound  attain  the  pres- 
tige that  he  craved. 

The  Calls  of  Birds. 


Oft  as  the  woodlark  piped  her  farewell  song, 
With  wistful  eyes  pursue  the  setting  sun. 

— William  Cullen  Bryant. 


How  strange  are  the  calls  and  songs  of  many  of  the  wild 
birds!  Having  studied  the  various  varieties  of  wild-fowl 
considerable,  I  have  been  interested  in  noting  their  cries, 
whether  of  fear  or  joy,  or  signals  of  sociability  to  their 
fellows.  They  have,  indeed,  a  language,  and  I  have  heard 
them  call  out  in  the  middle  of  the  night  whose  hearts  were 
bursting  for  very  happiness  and  joy  of  living.  The  red- 
head duck,  at  certain  times,  when  in  large  bodies  on  a  lake 
or  large  river,  and  impatient  to  go  near  shore  and  feed,  call 
to  each  other  exactly  as  a  cat  does  to  her  kittens.  But  the 
strangest  call  I  have  ever  heard  is  that  of  the  prairie  pigeon 
or  plover.  This  is  the  papabotte  of  the  Creoles  and  who  is 
at  home  on  the  prairies  of  Louisiana,  although  it  nests  in  the 
Northern  States.  The  bird  takes  flight  with  quivering  wings, 
as  if  loath  to  go,  and  utters  a  long-drawn,  tremulous,  and 
wonderfully  sweet  and  plaintive  cry  that  almost  seems  to 
long  for  other  lands.  The  poetic  and  mystic  cry  ever  lingers 
in  the  memory. 

Then  there  is  the  bittern,  the  great  blue  heron,  various  spe- 
cies of  rails,  and  many  other  water  birds. 


14  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Mallard  Shooting-  at  Coke's  Bayou. 


I  was  shooting  mallards  at  Aux  Sable  Island  near  the 
lower  end  of  the  island  on  the  Illinois  in  late  November  and 
it  was  a  bitter  cold  day  and  late  in  the  afternoon  began  to 
freeze  rapidly. 

My  decoys  were  becoming  small  cakes  of  coated  ice,  but  as 
the  birds  were  coming  fast  I  disliked  to  leave  such  fine  sport. 
No  preliminary  circles  by  the  large  flocks  of  mallards.  As 
soon  as  they  sighted  the  decoys  they  set  their  wings  and 
came  right  in  against  the  strong  mnd.  Then  it  was  up  to 
me  to  do  the  rest.  I  killed  twenty-seven  mallards  in  a  few 
hours. 

When  it  was  nearly  night  I  managed  to  get  my  decoys  up 
and  started  down  between  the  island  and  shore  for  home. 

When  I  reached  the  extreme  lower  end  of  the  island  (this 
is  one  of  the  largest  islands  on  the  upper  Illinois)  I  then 
discovered  the  ice  extended  in  a  solid  field  from  the  island 
to  the  shore  and  I  was  cut  off  from  getting  into  the  main 
channel  of  the  river.  To  row  up  between  the  island  and 
shore  to  the  upper  end  of  the  island  and  thence  into  the  main 
channel  meant  a  half-mile  row  and  time  was  valuable  if  I 
was  to  get  home  at  all. 

Rowing  back  a  short  distance,  I  pulled  my  boat  out  on  the 
island,  dragged  it  across  the  island  to  the  main  river  channel 
where  it  was  still  open  and  started  down  the  river  six  miles 
for  home. 

I  made  it  all  right,  hut  an  hour  after  I  landed  my  boat 
after  the  six-mile  row  the  river  channel  was  closed  entirelii. 


The  shadows  lengthon  and  the  daylight  fades." 


Coke's  Bayou  at  Sundown   (Aux  Sable  Island)   on  the  Illinois  Eiver. 
Photo  by  W.  M.  Lyon,  Chicago. 


DUCK    SHOOTIXG   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  15 

The  Plumage  of  Wild-Fowl. 


V 


The  strength  of  the  sun  in  his  yellow  feet, 
The  purple  of  night   asleep  on  his   breast; 

The  green  of  a  thousand  Junes  on  his   crest, 

And  across  his  wing  Heaven's  own  bar  of  blue. 

— A   Day  On  the   Yulcon. 


There  is  a  great  variety  of  coloring  of  the  feathers  of  the 
wild  duck.  Each  species  has  some  particular  coloring  that 
distinguishes  it.  And  all  have  a  patch  of  brilliant  color  on 
the  secondary  feathers  of  the  wing  with  a  narrow  strip 
of  white  on  each  side  of  it.  This  is  called  the  speculum. 
The  blue-wing  teal  has  a  light-blue  spot,  the  green-wing  a 
green  spot,  the  mallard  a  dark  blue,  the  pintail  a  light  brown, 
the  gadwall  a  dark  brown,  and  the  wood  duck  a  combination 
of  several  colors  with  beautiful  iridescent  feathers.  For 
delicacy  of  coloring  and  exquisite  tints  the  wood  duck  is  the 
handsomest  bird  on  this  continent  and  when  in  full  plumage 
w^orthy  of  comparison  with  many  of  the  radiant  tropical 
birds. 

Then  the  male  bird  of  each  species  has  a  distinguishing 
color  on  its  head  and  neck.  The  mallard  drake  has  a  beau- 
tiful velvety  green,  the  pintail  a  rich  chocolate  brown,  the 
redhead  a  light  chestnut  color  and  the  canvasback  a  dark 
chestnut  edged  with  black  on  the  cro^\m  of  his  head.  And 
always  it  is  the  male  birds  who  have  the  most  beautiful 
feathers.  The  female  is  most  soberly  clad.  How  different 
in  the  human  family!  There  the  female  has  all  the  fine 
feathers  and  want  more ! 

Certainly  a  flock  of  redheads  are  a  glorious  sight  on  a 
spring  morning  with  the  reflections  of  the  rising  sun  glisten- 
ing on  the  handsome  chestnut  coloring  of  their  heads ! 


16  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Gadwall,  or  Gray  Duck. 


Less  is  probably  known  about  the  gadwall  than  almost  any 
of  our  water-fowl  that  inhabit  the  interior  of  North  America. 

I  have  sometimes  read  of  them  being  seen  in  large  numbers 
in  the  far  North,  especially  on  their  breeding  grounds,  but 
for  myself  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  ever  seen  them  plentiful. 
Generally  I  have  only  observed  small  flocks  and  more  often 
a  single  bird  or  a  pair. 

There  seems  to  me  to  be  something  mysterious  and  almost 
uncanny  about  the  gadwall.  Several  times  I  have  flushed  a 
gadwall  some  distance  from  the  water  from  the  coarse  grass 
bordering  a  river  or  lake.  The  bird  was  not  wounded  in  an^^ 
way,  but  seemed  to  prefer  his  hermit  existence,  and  to  be 
just  as  well  satisfied  to  be  a  greater  distance  from  the  water 
than  most  members  of  the  duck  family. 

There  are  several  things  about  the  gadwall  that  remind 
one  of  the  widgeon  and  they  seem  to  be  a  sort  of  second 
cousin  to  that  bird  and  often  a  few  gadwalls  will  be  found 
with  a  large  flock  of  widgeons. 

Mr.  Ridgway,  the  ornithologist,  states  that  he  found  them 
more  numerous  than  all  other  varieties  of  ducks  during  the 
breeding  season  in  Western  Nevada,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Truckee  River. 

The  female  considerably  resembles  a  female  mallard,  but 
is  a  trifle  lighter  in  coloring,  and  is  not  quite  so  heavy. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  17 


The  Art  of  CaUing  Ducks. 


Uf  shadowed  nooks  upon  some  quiet  river  's  shore. — Rhymes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


BY   R.    P.    HOLLAND. 


Many  and  diversified  are  the  opinions  of  duck  shooters  as 
to  the  merits  of  a  duck  call,  regardless  of  how  it  is  made  or 
who  blows  it.  Some  insist  that  at  best  it  is  a  detriment, 
while  you  find  others  who  think  a  good  bag  is  impossible 
without  a  call  in  the  blind. 

A  friend  of  mine  wiio  knows  the  duck  game  from  A  to  Z 
will  finally  admit,  when  he  becomes  tired  of  hearing  me  argue 
the  question,  that  occasionally  a  call  will  attract  their  atten- 
tion, thereby  gaining  you  a  shot  that  otherwise  would  have 
been  lost. 

And  still  I  have  had  this  same  fellow  when  in  a  blind  with 
me  and  a  bunch  of  old  wise  mallards  were  circling,  trying  to 
make  up  their  minds  whether  or  not  to  run  the  risk,  nudge 
me  in  the  side  with  his  elbow  and  whisper,  "Talk  to  'em!" 
"Talk  to  'em!"  Then  when  they  had  swung  back  to  the  call 
and  were  making  their  last  circle,  some  of  them  with  feet 
banging,  he  w^ould  sink  his  fingers  into  my  leg  as  though 
trying  to  shut  off  the  call  to  keep  from  scaring  them. 

Personally,  I  would  just  as  soon  go  shooting  without  the 
gam  as  without  the  call.  To  me  there  is  no  comparison  in 
sitting  in  a  blind  with  everything  quiet,  while  a  bunch  circles 
you  and  decoys,  and  the  same  bunch  coming  in  with  the  call 
in  action.  In  the  first  place  every  duck  in  the  flock  is  looking 
^\dth  both  those  little  beady  eyes  for  something  w^rong.  If 
you  happen  to  move  a  trifle  one  of  them  is  sure  to  see  you. 
With  the  call  in  action  and  working  right,  your  liberties  are 


18  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

mncli  greater,  for  every  duck  in  that  bunch  has  liis  eyes  on 
the  decoys,  trying  to  locate  which  one  of  those  wooden  blocks 
is  possessed  of  the  power  of  speech. 

There  is  absolutely  no  question  but  that  when  properly 
used  a  call  is  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  the  man  shooting  over 
decoys.  Go  down  around  Big  Lake,  Arkansas,  the  lower 
Mississippi,  the  marshes  along  the  South  Coast;  mingle 
with  the  men  who  in  years  gone  by  have  made  their  living- 
shooting  wild-fowl,  and  running  from  the  upper  pocket  of 
their  coats  or  shirts,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  the  nearest  but- 
tonhole you  will  notice  a  piece  of  string.  On  the  end  of  that 
string  is  a  "squawker."  They  wear  them  the  year  round, 
as  much  a  part  of  their  apparel  as  the  shirt  itself.  Pretty 
good  proof  that  the  duck-call  is  of  some  advantage  in  hunting 
ducks. 

Go  out  in  a  blind  with  one  of  these  old  chaps  and  hear  him 
work  on  a  bunch  of  mallards.  You  will  be  converted  right 
there,  but  remember  it  has  taken  him  years  to  acquire  this 
degree  of  skill.  You  can't  take  his  call  and  do  the  same 
thing.  The  chances  are  you  have  seen  and  heard  an  expert, 
a  man  who  knows  more  about  the  habits  of  ducks  than  some 
of  the  authorities  who  have  w^ritten  books  on  the  subject. 
Blindfold  him  and  let  a  duck  or  bunch  of  ducks  fly  by,  and 
the  chances  are  he  can  tell  you  the  species  by  the  sound  of 
their  wings. 

There  are  days  when  ducks  won't  decoy;  likewise  there 
are  days  when  a  call  is  useless.  The  day  when  a  call  works 
best  is  the  ordinary  duck  day  when  all  ducks  want  to  decoy 
but  are  a  little  too  wise  to  plump  right  in. 

I  have  been  learning  to  blow  a  call  all  my  life  and  I  am 
still  learning.     At  times  I  fully  decide  that  I  know  all  there 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  19 

is  to  know,  that  I  am  fully  as  competent  as  a  ten-year-old 
mallard  hen;  then  I  strike  one  of  these  days  when  the  first 
quack  of  a  call  will  send  them  towering  and  I  switch  to  the 
other  side,  vowing  all  calls  are  worse  than  useless.  Again  I 
get  down  in  a  blind  with  some  old  market  shooter  and  sit 
there  with  mouth  wide  open,  wondering  if  in  reality  this  man 
isn't  part  duck. 

To  be  a  good  caller  it  is  almost  necessary  to  be  able  to 
name  your  species  as  soon  as  you  clap  eyes  on  them ;  at  least 
you  must  know  what  they  are  before  they  are  in  speaking 
distance.  And  besides  you  must  know  what  they  say.  You 
must  know  when  to  give  the  flocking  call  and  when  the  feed 
call.     Doesn't  sound  easy,  does  it!     Well,  it  isn't. 

I  have  found  that  the  most  essential  thing  is  not  to  stop 
calling  as  soon  as  you  see  they  are  coming  in,  but  to  keep  it 
up;  keep  them  guessing;  don't  give  them  time  to  think. 

When  you  are  doubt  about  your  birds,  talk  mallard  to 
most  any  of  them  and  it  will  generally  work. 

The  quack — quack — quack  has  erroneously  been  called  the 
mallard  alarm  call,  but  this  is  not  so.  Rather,  it  is  more  of 
a  sentinel  call  that  "All's  well."  All  of  us  that  have  startled 
an  old  mallard  hen  out  of  the  reeds  and  seen  her  bounce  up 
squawking,  every  call  louder  than  the  one  before,  should 
know  what  the  real  alarm  call  is.  I  have  seen  mallards 
floating  in  the  current  of  the  Missouri  River  all  day  long 
with  no  one  bothering  them  and  keeping  up  an  incessant 
quack — quack — quack.  If  you  hope  to  interest  them  from  a 
bar  blind,  you  must  start  in  with  this  same  line  of  talk. 

The  feeding  call  of  the  redhead  is  similar  to  the  meow  of 
a  cat,  while  the  bluebill  call  is  a  cross  between  the  caw  of  a 
crow  and  t\ie  quack  of  a  duck.     All  species  of  deep-water 


20  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

duck  can  be  swum  into  the  decoys  with  the  bluebill  k-u-u-u-t 
(let  your  tongue  vibrate  and  say  this  and  you  can  do  pretty 
well  without  a  call).  Give  them  this  call  and  when  they 
either  answer  you  or  start  swimming,  repeat  it  every  five  to 
ten  seconds.  Often  they  will  swim  part  of  the  way  and  raise 
and  come  in  on  the  wing.— Permission  of  Outing. 

The  Green- Wing  Teal. 


During  many  different  conversations  with  various  duck 
hunters  during  the  past  few  years  I  have  discovered  that  the 
green-wing  teal  is  a  very  popular  bird  with  the  majority  of 
sportsmen. 

The  green-wing  teal  is  a  common  migrant,  and  is  found 
over  the  whole  of  North  America,  from  the  far  North  to  the 
extreme  South. 

They  are  a  very  hardy  little  bird,  and  can  withstand  ex- 
tremely cold  weather,  unlike  their  cousin,  the  blue-wing. 

They  have  a  very  swift  flight  but  are  much  more  erratic 
than  the  blue-wing  and  quicker  to  see  danger,  and  if  you 
fire  a  shot  at  a  flock  flying  by,  every  duck  in  the  bunch  will 
shoot  up  into  the  air  in  a  different  direction. 

They  are  a  handsome  little  bird,  especially  in  their  Spring 
plumage,  and  their  cheerful  whistle  at  that  time  of  the  year 
is  very  pleasant  to  the  ear. 

Late  in  the  Fall  the  green-wing  teal  sometimes  congregate 
or  merge  several  smaller  flocks  into  one  large  flock  and  feed 
in  some  shallow  waters  at  the  edge  of  a  lake  or  sand  bars  on 
the  river,  and  T  have  known  a  large  number  to  be  killed  by 
firing  into  such  a  flock. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  21 


A  Duck  Shoot  On  the  North  Platte  River. 


We   catch   the   voice   of   rivers   and   the   sigh   of   trees. — Ehymes   of  Stream   and 

Forest. 


BY   J.    F.    PARKS. 


The  leaves  have  turned  from  emerald  to  old  gold,  crimson 
and  brown.  The  air  is  becoming  more  and  more  crisp  and 
invigorating  each  morning  as  the  nature  lover  goes  forth  to 
tackle  the  perplexing  problem  of  his  daily  business  grind. 
Old  Jack  Frost  is  now  working  over  time  in  penciling  the 
landscape  with  his  withering  breath,  thus  mutely,  but  force- 
fully, reminding  one  that  the  Fall  of  the  year  is  again  with 
us  and  that  grim  old  Winter  is  getting  ready  to  put  Nature 
to  sleep  for  another  brief  resting  spell. 

At  such  times,  the  thoughts  of  the  duck  hunter  naturally 
turn  to  his  annual  outing,  in  quest  of  the  web-footed  deni- 
zens of  the  marsh  and  river. 

The  trusty  old  hammerless  is  taken  out  of  the  gun  case, 
thoroughly  oiled  and  cleaned,  the  w^aist  waders  are  inspected 
for  possible  leaks,  a  new  supply  of  shells  are  purchased,  the 
gun  closet  ransacked  for  hunting  togs  and  even  the  faithful 
old  Chesapeake,  who  has  been  lying  around  listlessly  all 
Summer  dreaming  of  former  hunting  experiences,  now  seems 
to  manifest  an  unnatural  restlessness,  as  though  he,  too,  was 
beginning  to  feel  the  near  approach  of  another  outing. 

Then  one  day  a  telegram  comes,  reading  something  like 
this:  "There  is  a  small  flight  of  northern  ducks  in  at  present 
and  I  think  the  big  flight  will  be  on  in  a  few  days.     Hold 


22  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

yourself   in    readiness    to    come    on    receipt   of   my   wire." 
(Signed)  Harry. 

The  looked-f or  message  arrives  in  a  few  days  and  it  reads : 
"Northern  flight  is  in.     Come  and  bring  a  friend." 

My  shooting  chum,  Fred,  is  telephoned,  then  all  is  bustle 
and  excitement  to  catch  the  5:55  p.  m.  train  for  the  little 
town  of  Bayard,  Nebraska. 

Arriving  at  our  destination,  Harry  meets  us  with  the  cus- 
tomary hearty,  Western  welcome.  He  has  his  complete 
camping  outfit  loaded  on  a  lumber  w^agon  and  we  are  off  at 
once  for  the  old  North  Platte  River,  distant  three  miles  to 
the  southwest. 

We  establish  our  camp  on  a  little  island  in  the  Platte  in 
a  fine  srove  of  trees,  protected  from  the  wind,  and  soon 
have  everything  in  ship  shape  for  our  headquarters  for  the 
next  week  or  ten  days. 

Aside  from  being  ideal  from  the  standpoint  of  comfort, 
our  camp  site  is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  points  of  much 
historical  interest.  About  a  mile  up  stream  is  the  old 
"Sheedy"  or  ''Seven  Up"  ranch  and  branding  corrals,  and 
just  opposite  is  "Mike  Maxie"  Island  containing  200  acres 
of  land,  wdiile  just  above  this  is  the  old  Deadwood  and 
Sidney  stage  trail.  Looking  westward,  one  can  see  the  old 
grass-grown  trail  of  the  California  gold-seekers  of  '"49," 
and  the  trail  of  the  Mormons,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
where  one  can  almost  imagine  now,  he  can  still  see  the  long, 
phantom-like  trains  of  caravans,  drawn  by  gaunt,  lumbering- 
oxen,  with  men,  women  and  children  alongside,  enveloped  in 
a  cloud  of  suffocating  dust,  bent  on  reaching  their  new 
homes  in  the  far-away  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

To-day,  however,  there  remains  but  little  physical  evidence 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  23 

of  this  great  event  in  tlie  early  history  of  our  country,  save 
for  the  mounds  of  earth  and  stone,  in  rude,  wooden  inelos- 
ures,  that  dot  the  trail  here  and  there,  which  serve  to  mark 
the  last  resting  place  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  who  fell  by 
the  wayside,  and  never  reached  their  new  Eldorado.  And 
last,  but  not  by  any  means  least,  is  the  great  North  Platte 
Kiver,  which  some  wit  has  characterized  as  a  stream  "Two 
miles  wide  and  two  inches  deep,"  but  the  Avriter  would 
rather  say  in  regard  to  this,  after  having  to  wade  this 
stream  a  number  of  times,  that  it  is  two  hours  wide  and 
two  miles  deep,  but  for  all  that  it  is  a  grand  old  stream  and 
will  always  be,  thanks  to  the  new  Migratory  Bird  Law,  the 
duck  hunter's  Mecca  when  the  northern  flight  is  on  in  the 
Fall. 

A  good  night's  rest  prepares  us  for  an  early  morning 
start  and  we  proceed  to  occupy  our  blinds,  just  as  "Old 
Sol"  begins  to  paint  the  eastern  horizon  with  the  first  flushes 
of  the  coming  day. 

Harry  had  already  constructed  his  blind  on  a  sand  bar  in 
the  middle  of  the  river.  The  writer  is  located  on  a  little 
grass  and  brush-covered  island  about  300  hundred  yards  to 
the  east  of  Harry's  blind,  and  Fred  locates  his  blind  on  an 
island  about  the  same  distance  east  of  my  blind. 

In  going  out  to  the  blinds,  flock  after  flock  of  ducks  raise 
from  the  water  but  no  attention  is  paid  to  them.  We  are 
soon  comfortably  settled  Avith  our  Chesapeakes  quivering 
with  excitement  at  our  feet,  the  ducks  have  settled  and  a 
stillness  prevails  almost  impressive  in  its  intensity,  broken 
only  now  and  then  by  the  Vvooden  decoys  knocking  together 
in  the  swirl  of  the  rapid  current,  or  by  the  splash  of  a  musk- 
rat  as  it  dives  off  an  old  sodden  log,  or  perhaps  tlie  faint 


i  i' 


24  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

rustle  of  a  ciraning  old  mink  returning  to  its  den  after  a 
night  of  slaughter  among  its  legitimate  prey,  when  of  a 
sudden  the  stillness  is  broken  by  a  sharp  whip-like  report 
from  Fred's  blind  that  echoes  and  re-echoes  on  the  distant 
hills. 

Bang,  bang,  comes  from  each  blind  all  along  the  line  and 
the  air  is  tilled  with  pinions.  Ducks  to  the  right  of  us.  ducks 
to  the  left  of  us,  quacked  and  thundered.  Mallards,  pintails, 
widgeon,  teal,  canvasbacks,  redheads,  bluebills,  spoonbills  and 
what  not,  pass  and  repass  for  about  an  hour,  then  all  is 
quiet  again  along  the  Platte,  and  the  same  stillness  prevails. 
Hello,  John,"  from  Harry's  blind,  "what  luck?" 
Pretty  fair,"  said  I,  "what  did  you  do?" 

"I  got  a  few,"  said  Harry. 

"Say,  did  you  see  the  retrieve  that  Rex  made!" 

"No." 

"Well,  you  should  have  seen  it.     It  certainlj^  was  great. 
You  see  that  island  over  there  to  your  left!" 
,  "Yes." 

"Well,  he  followed  a  mallard  across  that  island,  then 
across  the  swift-running  channel  on  the  other  side,  and  got 
his  bird  out  on  the  bank  of  the  river  about  200  yards  from 
the  shore.  He  was  gone  at  least  ten  minutes.  Some  re- 
trieve, even  for  a  Chesapeake;  don't  you  think  so!" 

"Surely  some  retrieve,  Harry,  even  for  a  Chesapeake,"  I 
assented. 

"Down  Otter  Boy,"  to  my  dog,  "here  comes  a  pair  of  mal- 
lards.' ' 

Bang,  bang,  and  both  of  the  old  greenheads  crumple  in 
midair  and  come  tumblina  to  a  sand  bar  to  mv  right. 


'& 


"There,  that's  a  good  fellow;  now  go  fetch  the  other  one. 


>> 


"A  PEIZE-WINNING  CHESAPEAKE." 


"Edimuul's  Lnsitania."      (2S126,  F.  D.  S.  B.) 
Courtesy  of  J.  F.  Parks.  Battle  Mountain  Kennels.  Hot  S]»rinos,  S.  D. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  25 

and  as  the  grand  dog  handed  me  the  last  bird  he  seemed  to 
say  by  the  expression  in  his  little  yellow  eyes,"  Did  I  do  it 
to  suit  you,  old  pardner?"  Yes,  bless  his  old  heart,  he  did 
do  it  just  exactly  to  suit  me  and  I  did  not  waste  any  time  in 
making  him  understand  that  I  appreciated  his  game  effort. 

Retrieving  the  game  after  it  is  knocked  down  is  at  least 
two-thirds  of  the  sport  in  duck  shooting  for  me  and  if  I 
could  not  have  a  game  Chesapeake  for  a  shooting  companion 
on  a  duck  hunt,  the  game  would  not  be  worth  the  candle. 
Besides,  I  hold  that  it  is  nothing  short  of  a  crime  for  a  man 
to  go  out  on  the  marsh  or  river  and  shoot  ducks  indiscrim- 
inatelv,  with  no  chance  in  manv  instances  whatsoever,  to 
retrieve  them.  Tt  is  downright  brutality,  and  it  should  be 
stopped  as  far  as  possible  by  National  enactment, 

A  big  percentage  of  the  ducks  that  are  killed  in  this 
country  each  year  are  left  to  rot  or  what  is  worse,  the 
wounded  ones  are  left  to  slowly  starve  to  death,  yet  men 
will  do  this  thing  right  along  and  call  themselves  "Sports- 
men." They  are  not  sportsmen  at  all,  they  are  just  simply 
game  hogs,  that's  all,  and  don't  know  it. 

Otter  Boy  crouches  and  points  his  intelligent  head  up  the 
river.  At  tirst  nothing  can  be  seen,  but  a  moment  later  a 
faint  streak  is  discerned  on  the  horizon,  which  immediately 
develops  into  a  well-defined  line  of  ducks  coming  down  wind 
at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  miles  an  hour  and  headed  directly 
for  my  blind.  In  another  moment  they  are  over  the  decoys, 
but  out  of  range,  high  in  the  air.  They  fly  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  beyond  me  and  it  looks  like  they  are  going  on. 
But  they  have  seen  the  decoys  and  are  turning.  In  coming 
back  they  make  one  wide  circle  around  the  decoys,  then 
come  right  back  with  wings  set,  with  a  swish,  all  the  time 


26  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

talking  to  each  other  in  their  unintelligible  duck  lang-uage, 
probably  saying  to  themselves,  "Well,  here  is  where  it  must 
be  safe,  with  all  these  other  clucks  swimming  around,"  when 
bang,  bang,  rings  out  from  the  innocent  little  island  and 
three  of  the  noble  old  canvasbacks  hit  the  water  about  the 
same  time. 

Otter  Boy  had  all  he  could  do  retrieving  these  birds  from 
the  swift-running  channel,  but  he  gets  them  all  without 
mishap  and  is  soon  crouching  in  the  blind  with  me,  eager 
and  anxious  for  more. 

In  an  hour  or  so  the  flight  is  over  until  the  evening  flight 
commences  to  come  in  and  we  go  back  to  our  dear  little  tem- 
porary home  on  the  island,  to  eat  and  smoke  and  talk  over 
the  many  incidents  of  shooting,  thus  cementing  a  friendship 
among  kin  spirits  that  will  last  until  time  is  no  more. 

These  experiences  are  repeated  with  more  or  less  diversion 
each  morning  and  evening  until  the  time  comes  to  return  to 
our  home  and  loved  ones. 

Looking  back  from  a  prominent  position  on  the  "hurricane 
deck"  of  the  old  lumber  wagon  as  we  proceed  to  the  depot, 
our  eyes  longingly  dwell  on  the  old  familiar  blinds,  the  long 
stretches  of  the  sandy  river  with  its  innumerable  little 
islands  and  sand  bars;  the  dear  old  camp  site,  now  but  a 
precious  memory,  until  it  all  fades  from  sight  and  we  are 
at  the  railroad  station,  where  the  curtain  goes  down  on  an- 
other outing  with  the  ducks,  the  memory  of  which  will  remain 
green  long  after  our  eyes  become  too  dim  to  see  the  sights 
on  our  gun  barrels,  but  we  will  still  have  the  pleasure  of 
taking  our  little  grandsons  on  our  knees  in  after  years  and 
regaling  them  with  the  pleasureable  incidents  connected  with 
the  trip. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  27 

Duck  Shooting  on  the  New  England  Sea  Coast. 


I  have  enjoyed  making  a  study  of  the  ducks  that  come  in 
the  migratory  flight  to  Massachusetts.  This  has  meant  many 
a  watching  with  hunters  in  the  duck-stands  on  various  ponds, 
chasing  the  ducks  on  the  ocean,  or  waiting  in  a  gunning-line 
for  them  to  come  to  me. 

It  is  very  exciting  to  watch  the  approach  of  a  flock  to  one 
of  these  "stands,"  or  "bowers,"  on  the  shore  of  a  pond. 
The  flock  first  fly  over  and  begin  to  circle  around  the  pond. 
The  live  decoys  set  up  their  hoarse  clamor  of  invitation. 
At  length  they  splasli  down  out  in  the  middle  of  the  pond 
near  the  "blocks"  or  wooden  decoys.  Looking  cautiously 
about,  they  get  tlieir  bearings,  and  begin  to  listen  to  the 
decoys.  They  do  not  always  yield  to  the  treachery,  but  w^hen 
they  once  are  deceived  they  swim  in  a  body  at  a  rapid  rate 
right  for  the  stand.  Suddenly  the  guns,  pointed  through 
loopholes,  blaze  out  at  a  concerted  -signal  and  there  is  meat 
for  the  hunters'  table,  A  great  many  are  thus  taken  In  the 
ponds  of  southeastern  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere.  The 
best  season  is  throughout  October,  especially  about  the  mid- 
dle, after  a  storm,  when  a  cold  northwest  gale  starts  up. 
How  they  will  fly,  flock  after  flock,  not  only  in  early  morning 
and  late  afternoon,  as  at  ordinary  times,  but  all  day. 

Late  in  October  the  stands  make  ready  for  the  Canada 
geese,  some  of  them  keeping  large  flocks  of  tame  geese,  bred 
from  wild  stock,  for  decovs.  Some  of  these  decovs  are  wild 
birds  that  have  been  winged  by  shot.  In  a  few  days  such 
cripples  will  become  completely  domesticated,  and  will  even 
eventually  breed  in  captivity. — From  ''Among  the  Water- 
Foivl,"  hy  Herbert  K.  Job. 


28  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Pintail. 


The  pintail  is  to  me  a  most  interesting  bird,  always  seem- 
ing to  be  uneasy  to  get  away  for  the  far  north  in  the  Spring. 
There  are  few  more  beautiful  ducks  than  the  pintail.  Its 
long  and  pointed  wings,  narrow  body,  and  long  neck  and  tail, 
and  its  swiftness  in  flight,  make  it  a  handsome  bird. 

The  pintail  is  the  first  duck  always  to  arrive  from  the 
South  and  they  push  on  north  regardless  of  snow-storms  and 
cold  winds  and  are  always  thin  in  flesh  from  flying  so  much. 
In  the  Fall  one  rarely  sees  them  but  in  the  Spring  they  are 
often  seen  in  large  flocks.  They  are  very  wary,  also,  and 
the  hunter  is  lucky  if  he  gets  a  shot  at  a  flock  of  any  size. 
They  seem  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert.  The  male  bird  is 
very  handsome,  with  his  beautiful  rich  brown  head  and  neck 
striped  with  white.  They  have  been  seen  inside  the  Polar 
Circle  and  usually  nest  in  the  far  North,  although  nesting- 
somewhat  in  the  Dakotas,  Idaho,  Montana  and  Wyoming. 

The  pintail  associates  considerably  with  the  mallard,  .and 
mounted  specimens  of  hybrids  may  be  seen  at  the  Field 
Museum,  Jackson  Park,  and  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  Lin- 
coln Park,  Chicago.  Both  pintails  and  mallards  are  fond  of 
frequenting  little  ponds  in  the  cornfields  in  the  Spring  and 
also  are  often  found  on  the  prairies  where  cattle  are  being- 
fattened  for  the  market  by  being  fed  corn,  the  birds  picking 
up  the  scattered  kernels  wasted  by  the  cattle. 

The  pintail  is  somewhat  erratic  in  their  flight,  darting 
about  considerable,  but  generally  remain  well  up  in  the  air 
and  in  the  Spring  bearing  generally  in  a  northerly  direction. 


^-^^'' 


^^^i 

1' IN  TAIL 
(Dafila  ! 

1 

DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  29 


The    Anticipation,    Realization    and    Retrospection    of    the 
Pleasures    of    Wild-Fowling. 


' '  We  've   heard   the   songs   of   many   streams. ' ' 


BY    EDMUND    W,    WEIS,    M.    D. 


Can  any  scientist,  biologist  or  philosopher  explain  the  feel- 
ing of  anticipating  rapture  to  a  man  when  he  hears  or  sees 
something  that  suggests  the  possibility  of  hunting! 

Many  have  tried  but  I  have  never  found  a  satisfactory 
explanation.  Whether  it  is  a  relic  of  Barbarian  ancestors 
to  want  to  kill  something,  or  of  atavistic  tendency  of  getting 
food,  or  the  desire  to  circumvent  the  wary,  or  possibly  to 
exercise  an  acquired  skill  with  the  gun,  I  do  not  know;  but 
it  must  be  something  imperative  that  will  cause  a  man  to 
give  up  the  comforts  of  home,  brave  possible  dangers  of 
sickness  by  exposure  to  inclement  weather,  to  brave  clangers 
of  accidental  mutilation  and  death.  It  will  do  all  this  and 
yet  in  spite  of  the  most  he  can  do,  the  net  results  may  be — 
as  they  frequently  are — ml.  And  yet  he  has  had  such  an 
uplift  of  spirit,  such  ecstatic  pleasure,  that  all  other  means 
of  sport  dwindle  to  the  vanishing  point.  Far  be  it  from  me 
to  attempt  a  reason,  for  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  have  done  all 
and  more  of  these  things.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  say 
just  what  motive  possesses  me.  This,  however,  I  do  know, 
and  that  is  when  the  season  comes  on  there  is  an  indescrib- 
able longing  for  a  certain  something  that  will  only  be 
satisfied  by  fondling  my  gun  and  examining  the  ammunition 
box.     Then  come  the  days  of  desire  and  the  nights  of  dream- 


30  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

ing.  Has  there  ever  been  a  duck  hunter  who  has  not  filled 
his  bag,  has  made  the  most  beautiful  and  almost  impossible 
shots,  has  gloated  over  the  fall  of  birds  as  they  hovered 
over  the  decoys  or  swung  past  him  on  swift  wing,  who  has 
not  had  almost  as  much  pleasure  in  anticipation  as  realiza- 
tion? I  sincerely  believe  the  half  hour  before  falling  asleep 
has  been  of  greater  anticipated  joy  than  the  greatest  bag- 
ever  attained.  And  then  the  night  after,  when  tired  out  and 
worn  to  a  frazzle  by  freeze  and  wet,  when  the  muscles  ache 
from  rowing  and  walking  in  the  sw^amps,  stomach  well  filled 
and  happy  you  stretch  your  body  on  the  downy,  how  there 
passes  in  review  the  incidents  of  the  day,  the  missed  shot, 
the  accident  that  caused  the  loss  of  the  grand  old  green- 
head,  the  folding  up  of  graceful  wings,  the  splash  of  the  fall, 
the  chase  of  the  cripple  and  the  satisfaction  of  a  clean  kill 
at  40  yards ;  all  these  are  gone  over  and  over  until  the 
keeper  3' ells,  "All  up  for  breakfast." 

In  my  humble  estimation,  and  it  is  not  so  humble  either, 
being  based  on  forty-five  years'  experience  behind  the  gun, 
there  is  no  sport  to  equal  hunting  the  duck.  Nor  is  there 
a  greater  paradise  on  earth  anywhere  to  exercise  this  sport, 
than  the  old  Illinois  and  its  contributary  waters.  My  expe- 
rience extends  to  the  Far  West,  North  and  South,  but  no- 
where has  the  satisfaction  been  as  great  as  just  here  where 
when  the  bag  was  full  my  friends  enjoyed  my  joy  and  par- 
ticipated because  they  had  the  misfortune  to  stay  at  home, 

I  started  out  to  write  up  a  duck  hunt ;  how  can  I,  when  all 
my  hunts  have  been  as  one.  Whether  when  as  a  kid  unable 
to  hold  out  straight  the  double  barrel,  I  could  bring  some 
down  by  resting  the  same  on  the  willows ;  from  the  first  bird 
killed  on  the  wing  to  the  bag  of  the  limit  of  green-heads 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  31 

only,  it  is  just  one  kaleidoscope  of  hunt,  of  the  days  when 
we  killed  a  hundred  a  day  to  those  of  just  two  or  three,  it 
has  just  been  one  grand  time  of  solid  enjoyment,  selfish 
perhaps  if  you  please,  but  pleasure  exquisite  nevertheless. 

''Mark  north!"  Without  moving  a  muscle  excepting  those 
of  your  eyes  you  follow  the  flight  of  a  "bunch."  The  voice 
of  the  cedar  call,  now  followed  by  the  live  hens  out  in  front, 
you  warily  attempt  to  twist  your  neck  around  as  they  circle 
one,  two  or  three  times  and  then  the  supremest  joy  when 
they  finally  set  their  wings  and  float  down,  as  it  were,  their 
yellow  legs  outstretched,  down,  down  to  just  over  the  decoys, 
you  rise  up,  slip  your  safety  and — how  you  fondle  him, 
smooth  the  wet  feathers,  pat  his  plump  breast,  admire  the 
beautiful  colors!  The  cup  of  happiness  if  flowing  over. 
The  anticipated  is  realized,  coupled  perhaps  with  a  slight 
regret,  that  he  can  never  give  you  that  exquisite  moment 
again. 

Wherein  lies  greater  satisfaction  than  a  beautiful  double 
— perhaps  you  are  in  the  blind  in  the  midst  of  a  snow-storm, 
the  peak  of  your  cap  is  pulled  down  so  that  you  cannot  see 
well,  or  some  day  when  the  flight  has  been  poor  you  are 
slightly  dozing,  you  open  your  eyes  and  peer  through  the 
meshes  in  the  blind,  you  see  a  pair  of  strange  birds  swim- 
ming just  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  decoys.  Involuntarily 
you  stiffen,  your  hand  begins  to  reach  over  toward  the  stock 
of  your  Kemington,  and  as  you  rise  the  pair  head  for  the 
sky.  They  are  35  or  40-45  yards  away,  perhaps  50 — crack, 
crack — and  you  start  and  stare  as  if  some  one  had  presented 
you  with  a  fine  jewel. 

Again  you  are  careless  in  your  observation  when  suddenly 
like  a  streak  tliere  passes  some  teal.     AVithout  an  instant's 


32  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

hesitation,  it  is  but  one  moment  to  raise  the  gun,  slip  the 
safety,  put  it  against  your  shoulder,  throw  the  muzzle  from 
3  to  8  feet  ahead,  press  the  trigger  and  they  are  yours. 

Again,  and  I  will  never  forget  this  experience,  a  pair  of 
mallards  came  in.  I  made  a  clean  kill  with  the  first  barrel 
and  missed  with  the  second;  the  drake  began  to  climb 
straight  into  the  sky  immediately  over  the  blind,  I  slipped 
in  one  shell,  raised  the  gun,  struck  a  rotten  limb  above  me, 
loosened  a  lot  of  punk-w^ood  which  filled  my  eyes,  rubbed 
them  clear  and  then  sighted  on  him  away  up  in  the  blue 
when  at  the  crack  of  the  gun  he  "let  go  all  hold"  and  came 
tumbling  down  not  tw^enty  yards  away. 

Then  again  the  sudden  change  from  deep  disappointment 
to  gratification;  you  have  fired  both  barrels  into  a  bunch  of 
small  birds  that  had  not  any  intention  of  stopping  with  you. 
they  go  sailing  on  and  while  you  are  wondering  how  it  was 
possible  to  have  missed,  a  number  fall  out  and  you  retrieve 
some  beauties. 

There  is  no  grander  passion  fi'om  wliich  one  can  realize  so 
large  a  per  cent,  of  absolute  pleasure,  recreation  and  pride 
of  achievement  as  from  that  of  duck  hunting.  And  after 
the  season  is  over,  you  have  put  gun  and  paraphernalia 
away  you  settle  down  to  business,  take  it  from  me,  you  will 
be  a  better  man,  more  energetic  in  your  work  and  do  better 
in  every  way  from  having  had  a  good  play.  For  what  is 
sport  but — to  play — "to  practice  field  diversion."  Every 
one  in  active  business  life  should  play  at  something  if  they 
desire  to  reach  a  happy,  vigorous  old  age. 


Live  Wild  Mallard  Decoys  Calling-  in  Mallards,  Illinois  Eiver  Country. 
Photo  by  A'inc(Mit  Taylor,  Chieag^o. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  33 


A  Duck  Hunt  on  the  Kankakee. 


These  were  the  best  days  of  my  life;  these  were  my  golden  days." — The  Trail 

of  the  Sand-Eill  Stag. 


Although  I  have  fouglit  the  waves  on  many  a  stormy  day, 
and  have  been  out  in  many  severe  storms  on  various  occa- 
sions, one  hunt  in  particular  on  the  Kankakee  lingers  in  my 
memory. 

My  brother  Henry  and  myself  left  our  home,  Morris,  Illi- 
nois, located  on  the  Illinois  River,  early  in  December,  our 
destination  being  Kankakee  Islands,  a  group  of  heavily 
wooded  islands  in  the  Kankakee  River  about  one  mile  above 
its  confluence  with  the  Des  Plaines.  We  had  two  16-foot  gal- 
vanized-iron  boats,  forty  decoy  ducks,  plenty  of  ammunition, 
tent,  blankets,  and  camp-stove  for  cooking  on  and  to  heat  our 
tent.  Also  a  hand-saw,  for  there  is  nothing  so  useful  in  pre- 
paring stove-wood. 

Some  of  the  other  hunters  w^arned  us  that  it  was  pretty  late 
in  the  season  to  go  camping  out,  but  we  thought  we  should 
perhaps  be  able  to  return  before  the  river  should  freeze  up 
for  the  winter.  The  weather  up  to  this  time  had  been  com- 
paratively mild. 

The  first  day  we  rowed  ten  miles  up  the  Illinois  to  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Des  Plaines  and  Kankakee  Rivers,  and  then  en- 
tering the  Kankakee  River,  reached  the  islands  where  we 
were  to  camp  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  We  were  some- 
thing over  eleven  miles  from  Morris.  We  did  not  hunt  any 
that  day,  being  content  to  put  our  tent  up  and  lay  in  a  supply 
of  wood,  of  wliich  tliere  was  ])lenty  at  liand.     The  Kankakee 


34  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

here  flows  through  a  prairie  country  and  there  was  no  timber 
except  on  the  islands.  The  river  here  runs  directly  north 
and  to  the  w^est  of  us  for  four  or  five  miles  was  a  vast  prairie. 
About  one  mile  from  us  in  this  prairie  was  located  Goose 
Lake,  a  large  lake  surrounded  by  many  smaller  ponds,  a 
famous  resort  of  wild-fowl.  Ducks  crossed  back  and  forth 
from  the  Kankakee  and  also  from  the  Des  Plaines  to  this 
lake  in  vast  flocks  at  night  and  returned  to  the  rivers  in  the 
morning  and  I  have  been  camping  on  the  Des  Plaines  when 
the  roar  of  their  wings  could  be  heard  a  quarter  of  a  mile  as 
flock  after  flock  came  down  the  Des  Plaines  from  Joliet  Lake 
to  cross  over  to  the  Kankal^ee  and  thence  to  Goose  Lake  to 
spend  the  night.  I  greatly  admire  the  wild  ducks'  powers  of 
flight.  They  certainly  ''Go  some  ever  they  die,"  in  the 
words  of  the  Canadian  lumber-jack,  and  when  they  put  on 
the  high  speed,  well,  good-night!  If  you  can  stop  a  single 
green-wing  teal  coming  with  the  wind,  you  are  then  qualified 
to  be  called  a  marksman. 

We  decided  to  remain  on  the  river  at  Kankakee  Islands  as 
the  big  freeze  might  come  at  any  time,  and  we  might  have 
trouble  in  reaching  home. 

The  next  morning  was  cloudy  and  a  slight  wind  blowing, 
but  there  seemed  something  ominous  in  the  air,  as  though  a 
storm  were  impending.  My  brother  set  out  one-half  of  our 
wooden  decoys  (about  twenty)  at  the  extreme  lower  point  of 
the  largest  island,  and  I  set  out  the  other  half  a  short  dis- 
tance above  him  between  the  two  largest  islands. 

There  did  not  seem  to  be  many  ducks  on  the  wing  until, 
early  in  the  afternoon,  the  wind  increased  very  strongly  and 
it  began  to  snow  and  blow  harder  a  gale  from  the  northwest. 
In  fact,  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  blizzard. 


Tlip  wiiifl  conios  opiitly  at  tlio  liroak  of  dav. 


One  of  tlie  Many  Beautiful   Islands  on  the  Kankakee  Rive 
Photo  by  W.  M.  Lyon,  Chicago. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  35 

By  3  o'clock  large  flocks  of  mallards  would  come  over  the 
great  oak  trees  on  the  island,  hurried  along  by  the  wind  and 
falling  snow,  and  as  they  would  catch  sight  of  my  decoys  in 
the  sheltered  place  between  the  islands,  would  close  their 
wings  nearly  to  their  bodies  and  literally  coast  through  the 
air  with  a  rush  down  over  my  decoys.  They  seemed  to  know 
that  this  was  no  ordinary  storm.  Had  they  not  been  driven 
from  Saskatchew^an  and  Alberta  in  British  Columbia  in  Sep- 
tember by  ice  and  cold;  from  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin  to 
Illinois  and  Iowa  in  October  and  November,  and  now  this 
meant  to  them  to  make  a  flight  to  Reelf  oot  Lake  in  Tennessee 
or  the  bayous  of  the  Mississippi  over  night! 

There  would  be  the  sound  of  whizzing,  rushing  wings,  a 
puff  of  smoke,  a  dull  boom  of  the  gun  and  a  fat  mallard 
would  drop,  another  puff  of  smoke,  another  boom,  and  an- 
other one  would  drop. 

By  4  o'clock,  when  I  had  shot  nearly  twenty  mallards,  I 
had  great  difficultv  in  netting  back  to  the  island  each  time  I 
would  go  out  to  retrieve  my  fallen  birds,  as  the  snow  was 
floating  down  the  river  several  inches  deep  and  was  becoming- 
coated  with  a  crust  of  ice  on  top  and  every  few  minutes  would 
carry  some  of  my  decoys  away.  Those  nearest  shore  were  in 
a  little  eddy  and  were  not  affected  by  the  ice  so  much. 

After  a  few  parting  shots,  for  I  knew  I  would  get  no  more 
opportunities  until  the  following  Spring,  and  as  it  was  fast 
becoming  dark,  about  4 :  30  I  decided  to  return  to  camp,  and 
after  taking  up  the  few  decoys  still  on  the  water,  I  rowed  my 
boat  to  shore  and  turned  it  over  on  the  bank  with  the  decoys 
under  it.     I  had  twenty-six  fine  mallards. 

My  brother  had  returned  to  camp  before  me  with  about 
twenty  mallards  and  after  making  things  snug  in  the  tent,  we 
were  about  to  retire. 


36  DUCK    SHOOTIiSiG    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Just  then  a  spark  from  our  stove  caught  fire  to  our  tent, 
but  we  extinguished  it  before  it  had  burned  the  tent  very- 
much  and  patched  the  hole  up  with  a  flour  sack. 

The  next  morning  was  clear  and  cold,  with  the  thermometer 
well  below  zero. 

We  started  to  walk  across  the  island  when  my  brother 
looked  at  me  and  said:  "Your  ears  are  white.  They  are 
frozen!"  "Yours  are  too!"  1  told  him,  as  soon  as  I  glanced 
at  him.     We  rubbed  them  briskly  to  take  the  frost  out. 

"\^Tiat  a  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  river  from  the  day 
previous!  Where  we  had  rowed  our  boats  the  day  before 
there  was  now  a  solid  sheet  of  ice  that  would  bear  our  weight. 
There  were  no  ducks  in  sight.  They  had  left  for  a  warmer 
climate  and  where  they  could  find  open  water  and  were  prob- 
ablv  hundreds  of  miles  away. 

We  busied  ourselves  during  the  day  in  making  a  couple  of 
sleds  strong  enough  to  hold  our  boats  and  outfit,  as  we  knew 
that  was  the  only  way  we  could  get  home  as  the  river  was 
surely  frozen  over  for  the  season. 

The  following  morning  we  loaded  the  boats  on  the  sleds  and 
started  on  our  homeward  journey.  After  going  a  half  mile 
we  saw  there  was  a  narrow  strip  of  water  in  the  center  of  the 
river  which  was  not  frozen,  as  the  current  w^as  swift  here  for 
several  miles.  So  this  time  we  loaded  the  sleds  into  the 
boats  and  thought  we  would  take  a  chance  on  getting  out  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  open  water,  how  far  down  the  river  it  was 
we  did  not  know.  We  went  about  three  miles  and  found  it 
extended  no  further  and  pulled  our  boats  out  on  the  ice  again 
and  resumed  our  journey.  We  had  visions  of  La  Salle  and 
his  men  crossing  to  the  Illinois  from  Lake  Michigan  in  the 
dead  of  winter  and  descending  the  Illinois  to  Peoria  on  the 
ice  with  their  canoes  on  sledges. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  37 

When  we  reached  Twin  Islands,  eight  miles  from  Morris,  we 
saw  we  would  not  be  able  to  reach  Morris  with  our  entire 
equipment  that  day  and  so  we  left  our  boats  turned  over  on 
the  river  bank  with  the  decoys  underneath  them  to  return  for 
them  later.  While  we  were  arranging  the  boats  a  flock  of 
prairie  chickens  flew  over  our  heads  in  the  straggling  manner 
peculiar  to  them,  and  as  a  result  of  four  shots  fired  at  them, 
three  prairie  chickens  fell. 

We  reached  home  with  our  guns  and  game  about  dusk,  well 
satisfied  with  our  trip. 


What  a  joy  to  the  hunter  to  feel  a  pair  of  gun  barrels  in 
his  hands,  or  do  you  use  a  pump  I 

Duck  hunting  numbers  more  devotees  than  any  other 
branch  of  hunting  small  game,  and  no  one  with  red  blood 
can  resist  its  lure  once  it  has  been  experienced. 

The  hunter  is  seated,  in  his  blind  and  two  distant  reports 
of  a  shot-gun  come  floating  down  the  wind  to  his  ears,  and 
nearly  a  mile  away  he  sees  a  flock  of  black  objects  that  re- 
semble a  swarm  of  bees  headed  toward  him.  They  become 
larger  and  larger,  weaving  in  and  out  and  constantly  shift- 
ing their  positions  in  the  flock.  Soon  he  hears  the  roar  of 
their  wings  as  it  drives  their  whizzing  bodies  through  the 
air.  Some  speed  there,  boy !  They  see  the  decoys,  begin  to 
lower  their  flight,  make  several  graceful  circles,  slacken  up 
a  trifle,  there  are  two  streams  of  fire  pour  from  the  muzzle 
of  his  gun,  and  a  pair  of  birds  fall  one  after  the  other,  as 
if  thrown  from  a  catapult. 


38  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES. 


The  Woodcock. 


"WHiile  a  boy  many  times  I  unexpectedly  came  upon  a 
woodcock  while  roaming  the  woods  and  along  the  borders 
of  rivers  and  streams.  The  woodcock  is  a  most  inter- 
esting and  curious  bird,  and  when  I  would  flush  one 
from  under  the  willows  near  some  favorite  feeding  place  or 
resort  of  the  bird,  in  a  few  daj^s  I  would  happen  around  to 
the  same  locality  again  to  see  if  the  bird  was  still  frequenting 
his  old  haunt.  Almost  invariably  the  bird  would  be  flushed 
from  nearly  the  same  spot.  Sometimes  it  would  not  be  far 
from  human  habitation.  In  later  years  I  spent  considerable 
time  hunting  woodcock  and  became  well  acquainted  with 
their  many  peculiarities  and  strange  habits. 

The  peculiar  whistle  of  the  woodcock's  wings  as  he  flushes 
is  a  little  different  than  that  of  any  other  game  bird,  and 
once  heard  is  never  forgotten.  Sometimes  a  woodcock  will 
be  flushed  in  the  Fall  from  an  orchard  or  from  the  side  of  a 
hill  in  the  timber  where  there  was  not  much  underbrush,  but 
probably  a  little  creek  not  far  distant. 

The  woodcock  feeds  largely  at  night  and  often  the  hunter 
will  see  one  flit  by  like  a  shadow  on  his  way  to  some  feeding- 
place.  His  flight  at  such  times  is  very  silent  and  almost 
ghostly. 

Old  Jack,  my  star  duck  dog,  was  the  best  dog  for  woodcock 
hunting  I  have  ever  seen.  If  there  were  any  birds  in  the 
locality,  he  would  soon  find  them,  no  matter  how  warm  the 
weather  or  how  dense  the  cover. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  39 

The  Dog  Who  Would  Not  Go  Hunting  Without  His  Master's 

Permission. 


The  dog  is  man's  most  faithful  friend,  and  is  the  only  animal  who  will  follow 
him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.— Lieut.  Eobert  E.  Peary. 


Of  all  the  Chesapeake  Bay  retrievers,  or  any  other  kind  of 
retrievers,  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to  shoot  over.  Old  Bob  of 
Spesutia  Island  stands  out,  in  my  personal  recollections,  the 
peer  of  them  all.  He  was  a  most  perfect  specimen  of  the 
rough  or  curly-coated  dog.  His  outer  coat  was  curled  and 
twisted  as  close  and  as  tight  as  the  wool  on  a  Guinea  nigger's 
head.  It  felt  to  the  hand  like  the  wool  of  a  Merino  sheep; 
in  color  like  the  sands  on  the  shore.  And  he  weighed  about 
eighty  pounds. 

Old  Bob  was  raised  and  owned  by  Colonel  Ned  Mitchell, 
one  of  God's  noblemen,  standing  six  feet  seven  inches  in  his 
stocking  feet,  a  big  man  in  every  way  the  term  may  be  ap- 
plied; hospitable,  kind  and  indulgent  to  a  fault  towards  any 
boy  coming  to  the  island  for  a  day's  outing,  fishing,  crabbing 
and  to  shoot  ducks  and  snipe.  He  could  mix  a  mint  julep 
which  would  make  you  virtuous  and  happy  and  teach  you  to 
speak  the  truth,  especially  when  describing  the  largest  fish 
which  always  gets  away.  Woodcock  and  quail  could  be  found 
in  goodly  numbers,  too,  during  their  respective  seasons. 

"Can  Bob  go  with  us,  Mr.  Mitchell! "  was  always  the  first 
demand  upon  the  Colonel's  hospitality. 

"Why,  certainly,  take  Bob  along  with  you,  boys!  You 
can't  get  your  ducks  without  Bob." 

Old  Bob  would  give  you  a  very  friendly  recognition  at  the 
sight  of  the  gun  on  your  shoulder.    But  you  might  coax  until 


40  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES. 

you  were  blue  in  the  face,  not  a  step  would  he  go  bej^ond  that 
gate,  to  which  he  had  accompanied  you  as  gallantly  as  the 
Colonel  himself  always  did,  upon  your  departure  for  home, 
after  a  pleasant  and  successful  outing  at  the  Middle  Island 
Farm.  Bob  would  sit  by  the  gate,  and  if  you  attempted  to 
tie  a  rope  about  his  neck  he  would  let  you  know  by  unmis- 
takable signs  that  he  would  regard  it  as  a  personal  insult  and 
treat  you  accordingly.  The  only  thing  you  could  do  was  to 
inform  the  Colonel  that  Bob  refused  to  go.  What  a  pleased 
look  would  encompass  that  big,  kindly  and  honest  old  face 
when  you  informed  him  that  Bob  refused  to  go  with  you. 
The  Colonel  would  then  come  out  on  the  porch  and  laughingly 
call  out: 

"Bob,  come  here  a  minute !  Why  don't  you  go  along  down 
to  the  shore  with  the  boys  and  help  them  to  get  some  ducks?" 

The  Colonel's  request  was  sufficient.  Out  the  gate  Old  Bob 
would  bound,  as  much  pleased  as  we  were,  and  would  stay 
with  us  from  daybreak  to  dark.  I  have  seen  him  on  such 
occasions  follow  a  crippled  duck  so  far  into  that  bay  it  became 
difficult  to  distinguish  which  was  the  dog's  head  and  which 
the  duck,  as  they  arose  and  disappeared  from  the  rolling 
waves.  We  would  become  alarmed,  fearing  he  might  become 
exhausted  by  following  the  duck  such  a  great  distance,  then 
we  would  fire  our  gTin,  a  signal  he  never  failed  to  answer 
promptly  by  returning  ashore. 

OLD  BOB  BRINGS  HOME  SOME  DUCKS. 

The  gunning  days  upon  the  flats  or  feeding  grounds  of  the 
upper  Chesapeake  are  Mondays,  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays. 
Other  days  of  the  week,  according  to  the  local  laws,  they  are 
allowed  to  feed  unmolested.     A  good,  stiff  northerly  breeze 


"PAKDNEKS.  • 


A  morningf's  outing  with  my  old  side  pardner,  'Beaver  IIT. '  " 
('ourtesv  of  Harrv  Rieman,  Easton,  Marvlaiid. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  41 

upon  gunning  days  would  drift  most  all  the  dead  and  crippled 
ducks  not  picked  up  by  the  lookout  boats  which  attend  the 
sink  boxes  upon  the  shore  of  Spesutia  Island,  No  one  knew 
this  better  than  Bob,  He  would  be  up  and  doing  by  daylight 
the  next  morning,  diligently  hunting,  and  would  find  every 
dead  and  crippled  duck,  then  tote  them,  two  and  three  at  a 
time,  to  the  house,  invariabl}^  placing  them  at  the  kitchen 
door.  I  distinctly  recall  the  old  cook  rushing  to  the  dining- 
room  door  one  Sunday  morning,  exclaiming  in  a  very  excited 
manner : 

"Befo'  God,  Miss  Susie,  if  Bob  ain't  gone  done  and  bringed 
home  another  passel  of  dem  ducks!" 

We  all  rushed  out  to  see,  and  sure  enough,  there  were  a 
dozen  or  more  canvasbacks,  redheads  and  blackheads. 

A    CONTRAST    BETWEEN    THE    PAST    AND   PRESENT, 

It  is  one  of  my  most  pleasing  pastimes,  when  harking 
back  over  this  trail  of  life,  to  draw  a  comical  contrast  be- 
tween the  up-to-date  hunting  outfit  which  we  all  possess 
nowadays  and  that  in  general  use  when  we  were  boys;  also 
the  amount  of  game  to  the  number  of  shots  fired  and  the 
cost  of  ammunition  expended,  etc.  We  now  have  double- 
barreled  automatic  ejectors,  to  say  nothing  of  the  death- 
dealing  pump  and  automatic  shotguns,  containing  ammuni- 
tion costing,  on  the  average,  for  duck-loaded  shells,  3,28 
cents  each.  In  our  boyhood  days  I  sallied  forth,  in  com- 
pany with  a  little  nigger  and  Old  Bob,  armed  with  a  single- 
barreled  shotgun  longer  than  myself,  equipped  with  a  hickory 
ramrod,  a  wad  of  newspaper  for  wadding,  a  quarter  of  a 
pound  of  black  powder,  a  pound  of  shot  and  a  box  of  G,  D. 
caps.     And  when  the  waterproof  cap  came  in  vogue  the  ut- 


42  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

most  limit  of  perfection,  we  thought,  had  been  reached  with 
the  fowling  piece. 

TOLLING   DUCKS    ON    CHESAPEAKE   BAY. 

And  at  tolling  Old  Bob  was  unexcelled.  We  would  saunter 
along  the  shore  of  the  island  until  we  located  a  raft  of  ducks 
within  a  half  mile  of  shore.  If  conditions  w^ere  favorable  we 
would  hide  behind  an  old  log  or  a  pile  of  driftwood,  as  nearly 
opposite  the  ducks  as  possible.  Bob  was  then  coaxed  into  the 
hiding  place  and  a  red  bandana,  borrowed  from  old  Aunt 
Melissa  for  the  occasion,  was  made  fast  about  midship  of 
Bob's  tail.  Wlien  the  bandana  was  made  fast  and  secure, 
out  would  bound  Old  Bob,  delighted  to  begin  tolling.  He 
would  begin  about  fifty  yards  above  or  below  us,  running- 
belly  deep  in  the  surf,  barking  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  then 
turn  at  about  fifty  yards,  keeping  up  the  performance  until 
the  ducks'  attention  was  attracted.  As  the  ducks  swam  in 
towards  the  shore  Bob  worked  back  upon  the  shore  until  he 
was  to  our  rear  some  ten  or  fifteen  vards,  alwavs  on  the 
bounce  and  barking  as  loud  as  he  could.  I  have  seen  the 
ducks  come  in  to  the  very  edge  of  the  surf,  then,  with  a 
steady  rest  and  an  aim  that  never  failed,  we  would  knock 
over  five  or  six  at  a  shot,  sometimes  more.  At  the  crack  of 
the  gTin  Old  Bob  would  rush  into  the  water  and  grab  the 
cripples.  It  mattered  not  how  many  you  knocked  over,  the 
cripples  received  his  first  attention.  We  would  gather  up 
the  ducks  as  Bob  brought  them  to  us  and  then  move  on  until 
we  located  another  raft  of  ducks  at  a  favorable  distance  from 
shore.  Thus  we  would  continue  until  we  became  so  tired  and 
hungry  we  would  have  tried  to  eat  a  duck  fried  in  coal  tar. 
With  the  gun  stock  strained  almost  to  the  breaking  point 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  43 

by  the  weight  of  the  ducks,  we  would  homeward  plod  our 
weary  way,  hungiy  and  tired,  but  oh !  how  proud  and  happy. 
Would  that  such  happiness  could  always  be  continued  until 
we  pass  over  the  Great  Divide  into  the  Happy  Hunting 
Grounds. — George  L.  Hopper  in  The  American  Field. 


The  Nesting  Season  of  Wild  Ducks. 


I  spent  two  seasons  in  North  Dakota  observing  the  nesting 
of  wild  ducks.  The  breeding  dates  of  various  ducks  varies 
considerably  with  the  earliness  or  tardiness  of  the  particu- 
lar season.  While  there  is  no  exact  time  at  which  each 
species  lays — for  individuals  are  very  erratic — there  is  an 
average  date  at  which  one  can  expect  to  find  the  bulk  of  a 
species  thus  employed. 

During  a  week's  time  spent  among  the  large  sloughs  of 
North  Dakota,  from  June  7  to  14,  I  found  a  considerable 
number  of  nests  of  the  canvasback,  redhead  and  ruddy  ducks, 
built  out  in  the  reeds  over  water  averaging  knee  deep,  all  of 
which  made  a  very  interesting  study.  The  ruddy  ducks  were 
only  just  laying  and  had  anywhere  from  one  to  ten  eggs. 
The  redhead  is  a  great  layer.  Some  days  I  found  half  a 
dozen  nests,  most  of  which  had  as  many  as  ten  eggs,  several 
times  as  manv  as  fifteen,  and  once  I  flushed  a  redhead  from 
a  nest  of  twenty-two  eggs — the  largest  set  that  I  have  ever 
seen  in  the  nest  of  any  bird.  The  canvasback  usually  had 
ten  or  eleven  eggs,  sometimes  as  few  as  seven.  One  nest 
that  I  found  was  in  a  very  large,  open  clump,  away  out  in 
the  water.  Mrs.  Canvasback  was  asleep  on  the  nest,  with  her 
bill  resting  on  her  breast.     I  stood  within  ten  yards,  and 


44  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

watched  her  for  several  minutes.  Think  of  it!  the  famous 
canvasback  of  the  epicure  at  home  in  the  northern  wilds,  out 
on  the  lake,  asleep  in  her  ark— what  a  scene  it  was ! 

The  little  calendar  I  give  I  would  not  set  up  against  the 
observations  of  others;  it  is  simply  the  average  of  two  sea- 
sons' continuous  observation.  Mallards  and  pintails  are  not- 
ably the  early  birds,  laying  any  time  after  the  first  of  May 
—occasionally  before,  I  am  told — though  I  think  that  about 
May  20  one  will  find  the  greater  number  of  nests.  By  this 
time,  in  ordinary  seasons,  the  canvasbacks  have  laid  and  the 
hooded  mergansers.  Ma}'  25  is  about  the  right  date  for 
goldeneyes ;  June  1  for  teal,  shovelers,  and  redheads ;  June 
10  or  later  for  gadwalls  and  ruddies ;  June  15  and  on  for  the 
scaups  and  baldpates,  and  the  1st  of  July  for  the  white- 
winged  scoter. — From  ''Among  the  Water-Fowl/'  by  Herbert 
K.  Job. 


"Listen!  Here  comes  another  bunch."  We  both  began 
scanning  the  heavens.  High  up  and  towards  the  north  was 
a  bunch  of  specks  that  were  growing  larger  and  larger  as 
they  roared  down.  Nothing  so  much  did  this  roar  resemble 
as  a  distant  aeroplane  high  overhead.  On  down  the  lake 
they  whirred,  and  back  straight  over  the  blind.  The  roar 
from  their  wings  seemed  equal  in  volume  to  that  of  an  ex- 
press train.  Down  the  lake  they  Avent,  and  back  over  the 
decoys.  As  they  swept  past  us  we  picked  four  white-backed 
drakes  from  the  rear  guard. — R.  P.  Holland. 


Headwaters   of  the    Illinois  Ri\or.     .hinction   of  the   Des   Plaines    (left)    and   the 

Kankakee    (right).     Illinois   and   Michijj-an   Canal    in   the   Foreground. 

Plioto   Taken   from   Dresden    fleights  at   an   Altitude 

of  17.1  Feet  bv  W.  M.  Lvon,  Chicaoo. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  45 

Camping-  Along  the  Illinois  in  *'the  Good  Old  Days." 


Home  by  tbe  river's  rippled  sheen. — Longfellow. 


What  camp-fires  roared  along  the  Illinois  in  those  days! 
It  saddens  me  to  think  that  those  days  will  come  no  more  for 
me.  Driftwood  piled  as  high  as  we  could  throw  it,  shot  a 
glare  across  the  river  until  the  dead  cottonwoods  looked  like 
imploring  ghosts  with  arms  stretched  heavenward,  and  we 
could  almost  see  the  white  collars  on  the  necks  of  the  geese 
that  passed  high  above  us.  Bunches  of  mallards,  wood  ducks, 
sprigtails,  etc.,  hung  about  the  fire,  with  every  color  glowing 
brightly  as  in  the  evening  sun,  and  naught  was  needed  save 
a  string  of  trout  or  a  deer  to  make  the  scene  complete. 

Little  did  I  hear  of  the  song  or  the  jest  or  the  laughter  that 
almost  woke  the  echoes  from  the  eastern  bluffs.  The  walls 
of  that  dark  rotunda  beyond  the  fire  were  for  me  full  hung 
with  the  brightest  scenes  of  the  new  life  I  had  entered,  and 
they  drew  with  them  by  association  all  those  that  I  had 
passed  through  before.  There,  again,  was  the  bright  sky, 
swept  by  long  strings  of  whizzing  life,  widening  out  and 
streaming  towards  me  in  swift  descent.  There,  again,  was 
the  stately  mallard,  or  more  gorgeous  wood  duck,  relaxing 
his  hold  on  air  and  falling  a  whirl  of  brilliant  colors,  or  the 
wary  old  goose,  with  drooping  neck  and  folded  wing,  coming 
to  earth  with  an  impetuous  crash. 

Succeeding  years  have  hung  many  a  new  picture  in  the 
memories  that  surround  the  camp-fire;  but  none  of  them, 
in  all  the  freshness  of  youth,  shines  with  more  brilliancy  than 
still  through  the  mist  of  years  shine  around  the  camp-fires 
on  the  Illinois. — T.  S.  Van  Dijke. 


46  DITCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Tree  Ducks  of  South  America,  Mexico  and  Texas. — The 

Fulvous  Duck. 


There  are  several  species  of  tree  ducks  and  the  one  illus- 
trated in  this  book  is  the  fulvous  duck,  sometimes  called  the 
long-legged  duck  in  Texas.  It  is  also  found  in  Louisiana 
and  the  other  semi-tropical  States  bordering  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

These  ducks  seem  to  be  intermediate  between  the  true 
geese  and  ducks.  They  alight  on  the  branches  of  trees  near 
a  stream  or  lake,  and  walk  about  on  them  as  if  much  at  home. 
In  fact,  they  are  generally  said  to  pass  most  of  their  daylight 
hours  in  the  branches  of  trees,  and  to  do  most  of  their  feed- 
ing and  make  their  flights  at  night. 

The  flesh  of  the  different  tree  ducks  is  said  to  be  most 
delicious. 

The  tree  ducks  all  have  much  longer  legs  than  ordinary 
wild  ducks,  so  they  are  able  to  wade  very  readily  in  shallow 
water  and  feed. 

They  are  said  by  different  authorities  not  to  frequent  salt 
water,  but  their  habitat  is  fresh  water  lakes  and  sloughs, 
where  they  feed  on  the  grasses  that  grow  there,  and  also 
visiting  the  corn-fields  at  night  in  search  of  grain. 

The  bird  is  an  excellent  diver,  and  on  account  of  their  long 
legs  are  able  to  run  verv  fast  when  on  shore. 

Theodore  Roosevelt  mentions  seeing  different  varieties  of 
tree  ducks  on  his  recent  Brazilian  trip. 

Excellent  specimens  of  the  tree  duck  may  be  seen  in  the 
aviary  at  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago. 

The  fulvous  cluck  is  about  the  size  of  a  mallard. 


Ts*  ■?••. 


-^^*'S-. 


r: 


,:i::Ai:^^'l' 


--•'-«. 


\ 


an 


.s*C«<../"-^>"^"' 


^^o^  ■iJ'-' 


FULVOUS  TREE-DUCK. 
(Dandrocygna  fulva  ) 


COPyRIGHT    1900.    BY 
,    W     MUMFOHD,   CHICAGO- 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  47 

The  TaJe  of  a  Swan. 


And  these  bring  pictures  to  my  dreaming  eyes, 
Of  river,  woodland,  marsh,  and  stubblefield. 

— Ernest   McGaffey. 


A  party  of  us  duck-limiters  were  encamped  on  a  timbered 
island  at  the  west  end  of  Goose  Lake,  a  famous  ducking 
ground,  and  were  spending  several  weeks  there  during  the 
fall  duck-shooting  season. 

This  lake  was  a  half  mile  from  the  Kankakee  River,  but 
there  was  no  way  of  getting  a  boat  into  the  lake  except  by 
making  a  portage  across  the  intervening  land  from  the  Kan- 
kakee River.  As  the  adjoining  land-o\\Tiers  had  many  cattle, 
they  did  not  look  with  favor  on  hunters  crossing  the  land  to 
the  lake,  and  so  we  usually  made  the  journey  in  the  night 
time,  as  we  were  scrupulous  about  frightening  the  cattle. 

We  had  one  boat  in  the  lake  permanently  and  another  on 
the  river,  as  we  went  to  the  nearest  town  about  twice  a  week 
with  our  game  and  returned  with  ammunition,  provisions, 
etc. 

The  main  sheet  of  water  at  Goose  Lake  was  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  long  and  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide. 
At  the  west  end  of  the  lake  were  smaller  ponds  for  several 
miles  surrounded  by  a  great  prairie.  The  ducks  would  feed 
in  the  smaller  ponds  mostly  mornings  and  evenings,  flying 
back  and  forth  from  the  open  water  of  the  lake. 

During  midday  there  was  a  lull  in  the  flight  and  sometimes 
I  would  spend  a  few  hours  rowing  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake  and  getting  a  few  shots  at  stray  birds  and  also  occa- 
sionally stirring  up  the  main  body  of  birds  on  the  lake,  cans- 


48  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

ing  them  to  fly  around  so  that  the  other  hunters  of  our  party 
who  were  stationed  at  the  smaller  ponds  with  their  decoys 
would  get  some  shooting. 

One  day  an  enormous  solitary  swan  settled  himself  at  one 
end  of  the  lake,  not  within  gunshot  of  shore,  however,  and 
made  himself  at  home  on  the  waters  of  the  lake.  AVhere  he 
came  from  was  a  mystery,  but  evidently  he  had  dropped  in 
during  the  night  some  time  and  was  probably  separated 
from  some  flock  on  its  migration. 

He  had  an  immense  stretch  of  wings,  and  with  his  long 
neck  could  be  seen  at  a  great  distance. 

The  bird  was  an  excellent  judge  of  the  killing  distance  of 
a  shotgun,  for  he  would  remain  on  the  bosom  of  the  lake 
watching  me  until  I  had  approached  him  with  the  boat  nearly 
within  range,  when  he  would  stretch  his  great  wings  and 
fly  to  the  other  end  of  the  lake.  He  would  sometimes  fly 
over  the  shore  when  making  a  circle,  but  usually  was  careful 
enough  to  keep  over  the  open  surface  of  the  lake.  However, 
he  would  not  leave  the  lake  altogether,  but  he  would  circle ' 
around  a  few  times  and  then  return,  encouraging  me  in  the 
hopes  that  I  would  finally  get  a  shot  at  him. 

I  did  not  know  that  there  were  any  other  hunters  at  the 
main  lake,  as  my  companions  were  at  the  ponds  at  the  west 
end  of  the  lake  watching  their  decoys. 

Unknown  to  me,  how^ever,  there  was  a  hunter  ambushed 
in  the  deep  rushes  bordering  the  lake  and  had  been  unseen 
by  either  the  swan  or  myself.  He  was  probably  very  much 
interested  in  my  chasing  the  swan  from  one  end  of  the  lake 
to  the  other,  but  was  careful  to  keep  out  of  sight. 

After  an  hour  or  so  of  this  kind  of  work  I  was  about  to 
give  up  the  swan  chase  as  something  akin  to  a  wild-goose 


DUCK    SHOOTIiS'G    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  49 

chase,  when  behold!  the  swan  made  a  final  circle  over  the 
tall  rnshes  at  the  margin  of  the  lake  before  returning  to 
open  water,  there  was  the  flash  of  a  gun,  a  loud  report,  and 
the  swan  fell  heavily  into  the  edge  of  the  lake  pierced  by  a 
load  of  duck  shot.  He  had  attempted  to  fly  over  the  am- 
bushed hunter's  head  and  it  was  his  finish. 

He  surely  was  a  monstrous  bird  and  as  I  retrieved  him 
for  the  gunner  I  mentally  vowed  I  would  not  chase  any  more 
swans  for  the  benefit  of  some  one  else  for  a  time,  at  least. 


In  Fair  Kentucky. 


The  greeu  trees  whispered  low  and  mild, 
And  freshness  breathed  from  every  spring. 

— Longfellow. 


To  roam  care  free  o'er  the  forest-clad  mountains,  along 
far  stretches  of  valley,  and  to  rest  in  the  secluded  retreats  of 
the  great  out-of-doors  is  the  greatest  boon  that  mortal  can 
enjoy.  The  true  sportsman  would  not  exchange  this  privilege 
—his  birthright — for  the  wealth  of  the  Indies.  To  him  the 
pleasures  of  the  city  are  not  to  be  compared  with  the  big, 
roomy  country,  where  all  Nature  is  in  harmony  with  his 
every  mood.  The  real  lover  of  Nature  finds  in  each  season 
something  to  gladden  his  heart  and  stir  his  soul  into  a  prayer 
of  true  thankfulness.  He  goes  forth  into  the  forest  upon  a 
spring  morn ;  the  south  breeze  whispers  to  him  the  birth  of 
the  crocus,  wake-robin  and  wild  clais};-;  the  golden  beams  of 
the  rising  sun  struggle  through  the  lattice-work  of  the  trees 
to  kiss  him  Good  Morning!  The  feathered  folk  have  already 
awakened  from  their  night's  repose  and  are  oifering  up 
songs    of   praise.     The   chipmunks,   the   grey    squirrels   and 


50  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Br'er  Babbit  are  all  astir;  each  intent  upon  his  own  errand 
— breakfast!  The  little  creek  smiles  as  the  sunbeams  dance 
upon  its  bosom  and  it  murmurs,  "Good  morning,  Friend!" 

As  the  sportsman  fares  forth  in  the  dawn  of  a  summer's 
morning,  the  bee  has  just  commenced  its  day's  labor  of 
searching  the  flower  petals  for  nectar  and  its  drowsy  droning 
is  in  complete  harmony  with  the  gently  stirring  forest.  By 
and  by,  the  big  orb  of  day  scatters  the  gre^^  mists  and — 
Behold !  a  world  of  splendor.     Oh !  what  a  glorious  morning ! 

Again  we  see  him  in  the  grey  dawn  of  an  autumn  morning. 
He  is  drinking  in  the  matchless  glory  of  the  flaming  forest. 
Jack  Frost  has  been  playing  pranks  with  his  brush  upon  the 
foliage.  Oh!  how  his  blood  tingles  and  how  his  chest  ex- 
pands. The  Wine  of  Life !  He  hears  the  call  of  old  Bob 
White  and  is  thrilled  by  a  hundred  other  sounds  of  the  wood- 
land.    What  ecstasy!     What  joy  of  life! 

Winter — old  King  Boreas — wields  his  white  scepter,  and 
behold  our  sportsman  again.  What  a  keen  zest  he  has  for 
the  snowy  trail !  The  sleet  may  beat  against  his  breast,  but 
he  counts  it  as  merely  one  of  the  added  pleasures  of  the  hunt. 
He  hears  the  mellow  tone  of  the  hunter's  horn;  hears  the 
pack  in  full  cry — Oh !  what  music !  —  and  he  urges  his  steed 
along,  over  hills,  across  ravines  and  through  low-lying  dells, 
and  ever  and  anon  he  lets  out  a  volume  of  voice  that  is  only 
possible  for  an  old  woodsman.  What  music !  and  Oh,  what  a 
time  to  ride!    ride!   ride! — Flossie  Ray. 


No  matter  whether  they  are  being  hunted  much  or  not,  all 
wild  ducks  make  a  morning  and  evening  flight  of  some  de- 
scription. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  51 


On  the  Marsh. 


Just  a  settin'  in  the  willers, 
Old  shot-gun  upon  my  knees, 

Wish't  they  coukl  last  forever, 
Happy,  lazy  days  like  these. 

Overhead  the  crows  a-callin, 
Far  enough  away,  you  bet. 

Ain't  out  for  crow  meat,  no  how, 
Somethin'  better,  don't  you  fret. 

In  that  bend  decoys  a-bobbin, 

Waitin'  for  that  greenhead  drake. 

But  the  way  he  keeps  a-circlin' 
And  a  rubberin'  takes  the  cake. 

Seems  as  if  he's  darn  suspicious, 
My  duck  talk  can't  sound  just  right, 

Get  him,  though,  if  he  swings  closer, 
Got  to  have  duck  meat  tonight. 

"Jeminy  Crismus,"  now  he's  comin' 
Gosh!    ain't  that  a  dandy  shot! 

Well — of  all  the  gol-darned  misses ! 
Cussed!     I  know  it.     Made  me  hot. 

Bet  you  I  don't  miss  the  next  one, 
Didn't  lead  him  far  enough, 

Must  be  I  am  gitin'  cross-eyed, 
Got  to  make  some  kind  of  bluff. 


52  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Guess  I'll  start  the  old  pipe  goin' 
Mebbe  it  will  change  my  luck, 

Though  a  darn  site  straighter  shootin' 
Comes  in  handier  killin'  duck. 

Hark!   I  heard  some  wings  a'squeakin' 
Like  an  ungreasecl  wag'on  wheel. 

See  'em  swinging- — much  as  twenty 
Pretty  little  green-winged  teal. 

There!     There!     The  old  gun's  talkin' 

Gness  I  took  a  little  care. 
See  the  little  fellows  splashin' 

Right  and  left,  I  got  a  pair. 

******* 
Just  a  settin'  in  the  willers' 

Just  a  listin'  to  the  breeze, 
Blowin'  kisses  at  the  river, 

Happy,  lazy  days  like  these. 

— Ross  Kiner  in  Sports  Afield. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  53 


The  Chesapeake  Bay  Dog. 


In   that   delightful   land   which   is   washed   by   the   Delaware's  flow. — Longfellow. 


Every  man  who  hunts  wildfowl  much  ought  to  have  a  good 
retriever.  Setters  and  Irish  water  spaniels  are  very  com- 
monly used.  The  best  duck  dog,  in  my  opinion,  is  one  who 
combines  the  best  qualities  of  each  breed  by  crossing.  The 
best  duck  dog  I  ever  saw  was  a  dog  of  this  description.  He 
was  a  fine  retriever  and  had  a  nose  as  good  as  any  setter. 
He  could  be  used  for  duck  hunting  and  was  just  as  valuable 
for  hunting  quail,  prairie  chickens,  woodcock  or  jack  snipe. 
No  wounded  duck  could  escape  him  in  the  rushes  or  reeds. 

For  about  one  hundred  years  there  have  been  bred  about 
Chesapeake  Bay  a  breed  of  dogs  called  the  Chesapeake  Bay 
dog.  This  history  of  this  breed  is  partly  authentic  and 
partly  traditional.  It  is  said  that  about  the  year  1805  there 
arrived  at  Baltimore  a  ship  called  the  "Canton,"  which  at 
sea  had  met  with  an  English  brig  bound  from  Newfoundland 
to  England,  in  a  sinking  condition.  On  this  ship  were  found 
two  puppies,  a  dog,  which  was  brown  in  color,  and  a  bitch, 
black.  These  puppies  were  rescued  and  became  the  property 
of  a  Mr.  Law.  The  dog  was  named  Sailor,  and  his  mate, 
Canton.  The  dog  passed  into  the  hands  of  Governor  Lloyd, 
of  Maryland,  and  the  bitch  became  the  property  of  Dr.  Stew- 
art, of  Sparrows  Point.  Their  progeiw  became  the  Chesa- 
peake Bay  dogs. 

Thanks  to  a  coterie  of  sportsmen  in  the  Middle  and  Far 
West,  and  particularly  in  Minnesota  and  the  Dakotas,  interest 
ill  this  great  breed  of  retrievers  has  not  entirely  lapsed,  and 


54  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES. 

many  excellent  specimens  are  still  being  bred.  Among  those 
who  have  retained  an  abiding  interest  in  these  dogs  is  J.  F. 
Parks,  of  Hot  Springs,  South  Dakota.  Mr.  Parks  is  entitled 
to  great  credit  for  his  efforts  to  perpetuate  a  pure  strain  of 
Chesapeake  Bay  dogs.  From  a  recent  article  by  him  in  The 
American  Field  I  take  the  following  interesting  facts: 

'^The  Chesapeake  Bay  dog  has  been  developed  to  a  very 
high  state  of  perfection  on  the  shores  of  Chesapeake  Bay  and 
has  been  used  as  retrievers  by  cluck  hunters  in  that  locality 
for  a  great  many  years. 

"In  color  they  range  from  a  deep  seal  brown  down  through 
the  varying  shades  of  brown  to  a  very  light  sedge  or  'faded 
buffalo'  color,  and  in  coat  from  the  smooth,  wavy,  short  coat 
to  the  heavy,  thick  coat,  resembling  very  much  the  sheep  pelt. 
These  dogs  have  what  is  known  as  the  double  or  otter  coat, 
the  under-coat  being  very  thick  and  fuiiike,  while  the  other 
coat  is  of  coarse  hair.  This  difference  in  color  and  coat 
seems  to  occur  in  almost  every  litter  of  puppies,  and  just  why 
it  is  so  is  a  mystery.  A  small  white  star  is  also  frequently 
found  on  the  breast  of  these  dogs,  but  not  always.  Some 
fanciers  prefer  one  shade  and  some  another.  Some  prefer 
the  short,  wavy  coat,  but  my  experience  warrants  me  in  the 
conclusion  that  it  matters  very  little  what  the  shade  of  coat 
is,  just  so  you  are  sure  you  have  the  pure  breed  of  dog,  whose 
pedigree  goes  back  to  the  two  dogs  landed  in  Maryland  in 
the  year  1807. 

"The  thoroughbred  Chesapeake  is  absolutely  fearless  and 
was  never  known  to  quit  under  the  most  trying  conditions. 
Deep  mud,  tangled  rice  beds  and  rushes,  as  well  as  extreme 
cold,  has  no  terrors  for  them. 

I  have  seen  these  dogs  break  ice  over  an  inch  thick  for  a 


i  i' 


"Tlint's  n  good  boy,  briiifj  liim   in. 


Courtesy  of  J.  F.  Parks.  Battle  Mountain  Kennels.  Hot  Springs,  S.  D. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  55 

distance  of  fifty  yards  going  after  a  duck  and  then  turn 
around  and  break  a  new  channel  through  the  ice,  back  to  me 
with  the  duck,  and  repeat  the  feat  as  often  as  they  were  called 
upon  to  do  so;  in  fact,  I  have  j^et  to  see  a  retrieve  so  tough 
but  what  they  would  make  the  attempt  at  it,  and  if  a  physical 
possibility  for  them  to  accomplish  it  they  always  returned 
with  the  bird. 

''In  order  to  be  in  a  position  to  fully  appreciate  these  dogs, 
one  must  come  in  actual  contact  with  them  and  enjoy  their 
companionship.  They  are,  without  doubt,  the  w^isest  dogs  in 
existence,  and  as  companions  they  are  simply  in  a  class  by 
themselves.  As  a  rule  they  are  what  is  known  among  sports- 
men as  'one-man  dogs.'  That  is,  they  recognize  but  one  mas- 
ter, and  when  the}^  are  properly  trained  to  retrieve,  an  owner 
need  not  worry  about  getting  his  own  duck  when  shooting 
with  others  in  a  marsh  or  on  a  river." 

Mr.  George  L.  Hopper,  of  Duckabush,  Washington,  has  the 
following  to  say  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  dog,  also  in  The 
American  Field: 

"Anything  regarding  the  Chesapeake  Bay  dog  will  prove 
especially  interesting  to  all  the  old-time  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia sportsmen  who  were  born  and  raised  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  its  tributaries;  from  these  waters 
a  greater  variety  of  delicious  good  things  can  be  had,  with 
less  effort,  than  any  spot  or  place  upon  God's  green  earth. 
The  most  of  us  can  recall  the  name  and  personal  character- 
istics of  some  certain  Chesapeake  Bay  dog  which  was  among 
our  boon  companions  during  our  boyhood  days,  when  we 
frolicked  and  whiled  away  the  blossom  of  youth. 

"We  will  all  appreciate  the  personal  interest  J.  F.  Parks, 
of  Hot   Springs,   Soutli   Dakota,  has   taken   in   our   old-time 


56  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

friend  by  setting  to  print  'A  Brief  Legendary  History  of  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  Dog.'  Although  the  exact  origin  of  his 
ancestors  always  has  been  and  always  will  remain  clouded 
with  some  degree  of  uncertainty,  what  Mr.  Parks  has  stated 
is  about  all  that  is  to  be  know^n  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  re- 
triever. 

"I  would  advise  Mr.  Parks,  however,  should  he  ever  visit 
the  shores  of  Chesapeake  Bay  personally,  to  be  very  careful 
and  circumspect  just  how  he  makes  the  statement  with  any 
degree  of  assurance,  why  it  is  not  possible  on  physical 
grounds  for  the  Chesapeake  Bay  dog  to  have  been  derived 
from  the  crossing  of  the  old  Labrador  dog  and  the  otter.  I 
vividly  recall  one  of  the  last  arguments  upon  that  subject, 
which  occurred  within  hearing  of  'Old  Punk,'  one  of  our  old- 
time  colored  friends,  who  for  manj^  years  was  ferryman  of 
the  Spesutia  Island  narrows. 

"A  gentleman  of  some  scientific  attainment  had  explained 
conclusively  to  his  own  satisfaction,  at  least,  why  the  crossing 
of  a  dog  and  an  otter  was  a  physical  impossibility.  After 
he  had  passed  out  of  hearing,  Punk  inquired  of  me : 

''  'Mr.  Georgia,  who  is  dat  gem 'man  who  has  just  been  tell- 
ing you-all  dat  dere  ain't  no  otter  in  dis  here  dog  of  mine? 
Look  at  dat  head!  Look  at  dat  mouth!  Look  at  dat  hair 
or  fur  next  to  his  hide,  and  look  how  powerful  he  is  in  dem 
fo'legs  and  shoulders!  He  swims  just  like  any  otter,  and, 
bless  God!  you  can't  tell  him  from  one  of  dem  otters  when 
he  comes  crawlin'  out  of  de  water  in  some  dark  place  along 
sho.'  Ain't  I  heard  my  old  grand-moster  say  dat  der  otter 
was  in  dem  dogs?  Ain't  everybody  knowed  it,  befo'  God, 
fo'  nigh  onto  a  hundred  years  and  mo'?  AVliere  is  dat 
gem 'men  from,  Mr.  (leorgia? 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  57 


From  New  York,  I  think.' 

I   knowed    lie    was    none    of    our   kind    of   people;    lie 
wouldn't  talk  like  dat.' 

"That  the  Chesapeake  Bay  retriever  is  the  greatest  of 
water  dogs  is  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  great  strength  of  his 
forelegs  and  powerful  shoulders,  but  more  especially  to  that 
peculiar  and  unexplainable  furlike  under-coat,  through  which 
an  oily  substance  is  mixed,  like  unto  the  down  of  a  duck,  not 
natural  to  any  other  breed  of  dogs,  which  enables  him  to 
withstand  the  most  rigorous  weather  during  the  ducking 
season.  He  is  more  especially  appreciated  by  us  old-time 
fellows  for  his  knowledge  of  the  art  of  tolling  the  ducks 
within  gunshot,  and  they  take  to  tolling  as  naturally  as  the 
setter  does  to  pointing  quail.  No  fox  can  be  more  skillful 
and  cunning. 

"In  disposition  the  Chesapeakes  are  most  extraordinary. 
They  are  veiy  quiet  and  they  do  not  like  to  be  disturbed, 
while  watching  over  a  stool  of  decoys,  by  other  dogs  and 
people  not  connected  with  the  sport  at  hand.  Some  may 
think  them  sullen  on  that  account,  but  they  are  never  vicious 
or  quarrelsome,  either  with  dogs  or  people.  They  simply 
want  to  be  let  alone.  To  them  life  begins  and  life  ends  re- 
trieving and  tolling  for  ducks.  Their  minds  are  never  con- 
nected with  other  things. 

"The  smooth,  wavy,  short-coated  dogs  are  the  most  de- 
sired by  some,  because  they  can  more  thoroughly  shake  off 
the  water  and  dry  out  more  quickly.  The  smooth  and  curly- 
coated  Chesapeake  Bay  retrievers  are  not  distinct  strains, 
as  many  suppose;  they  are  both  whelped  from  the  same 
litter,  the  color  ranging  from  a  seal  brown  to  a  light  sedge, 
as  stated  bv  Mr.  Parks  more  fully. 


58  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES. 

"During  freezing  weather  the  icicles  do  not  form  on  the 
outer  coat  of  the  smooth-coated  dog,  as  they  do  on  the  rough 
or  curly-coated.  But  it  seems  to  make  no  difference  to  'Old 
Curly. '  He  may  tremble  with  excitement  when  the  ducks  are 
about  to  dart  to  the  decoys,  but  he  never  shivers  and  suffers 
from  the  cold  wind  and  icicles  sticking  to  his  coat.  And  I 
cannot  recall  at  this  writing  of  having  ever  seen  a  Chesa- 
peake Bay  retriever  afflicted  with  canker  of  the  ear,  with 
which  other  dogs  will  surely  become  afflicted  if  permitted  to 
retrieve  from  the  water  any  great  length  of  time." 

I  quote  the  following  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Hochwalt, 
one  of  the  greatest  authorities  on  the  dog  in  this  country, 
w^ho,  in  his  very  excellent  w^ork  called  "Dogcraft,"  has  this 
to  say  about  the  Chesapeake  Bay  dog: 

"As  a  retriever  of  dead  and  wounded  ducks,  there  is  no 
dog  that  equals  ^the  Chesapeake.  His  great  strength  of  limb, 
his  unlimited  powers  of  endurance,  and  his  dense  coat,  fit 
him  eminently  for  braving  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake 
Bay,  which  is  quite  frequently,  covered  with  floating  ice,  when 
much  of  the  duck  shooting  is  done.  The  Chesapeake  Bay 
dog  has  been  known  to  swim  for  miles  in  a  rough  sea; 
covered  with  broken  ice,  after  a  wounded  duck,  a  feat  which 
few  dogs  would  be  able  to  equal." 


The  little  ruddy  duck  is  a  most  gentle  and  unsuspicious 
bird,  and  very  often  the  hunter  can  row  up  to  them  in  a 
boat,  shooting  them  as  they  rise,  and  strange  to  say,  the 
survivors  do  not  generally  leave  at  once,  especially  if  they 
have  been  feeding  in  the  neighborhood,  and  sometimes  a 
whole  flock  has  been  killed  in  this  manner.  Mr.  Job  tells  of 
instances  wliere  this  has  also  occurred  in  the  ponds  and 
lakes  of  New  England. 


View  On  tlie  Des  F'laiiies  Hiver.     W.  C.  Hazeltoii.     Photo  l»v  W.  M.  Lvoii,  Chicaoo. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  59 


A  Lucky  Half  Hour  With  the  Blue- Wings  on  the  Des  Plaines 

River. 


All  russet-like  across  the  golden  sky, 
A  bunch  of  teal  come  sailing  by. 

— Poems  of  Gun  and  EocL 


One  beautiful  day  in  our  grandest  month,  October,  I  was 
rowing  up  the  Des  Plaines  River  a  couple  of  miles  above  its 
mouth.  A  stretch  of  the  river  along  here  for  several  miles 
is  a  favorite  resort  of  the  blue-wing  teal. 

There  are  here  little  coves  and  bayous  bordered  with  rushes 
and  there  are  numerous  pond-lilies,  water-cress  and  other 
aquatic  plants  growing  along  its  borders.  There  are  also 
little  ponds  at  various  points  not  far  from  the  river  and 
these  ponds  are  always  a  favorite  resort  of  these  dainty  little 
birds. 

Coming  around  a  bend  in  the  river  I  was  within  gunshot 
of  a  small  flock  of  blue-wing  teal  before  they  had  seen  me  or 
I  had  seen  them.  As  they  arose  from  the  water  I  killed  one 
with  the  first  barrel  and  two  with  the  second. 

At  the  report  of  the  gun  a  large  flock  of  blue-wings  flew 
out  from  the  opposite  shore  some  distance  above  me  and 
alighted  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  There  was  at  least  fifty 
or  sixty  in  the  flock. 

They  did  not  seem  to  be  greatly  alarmed  and  I  quietly 
worked  my  boat  into  shore  out  of  their  sight  and  gradually 
dropped  along  close  to  shore  dovra  stream  and  around  the 
bend.  '  Here  I  could  row  without  their  seeing  me  so  long  as 
I  did  not  go  out  into  the  river  any  distance. 


60  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

They  had  quieted  down  and  swam  into  shore  and  were 
apparently  undisturbed  and  had  evidently  no  thoughts  of 
their  enemy,  man. 

If  I  could  get  a  shot  into  that  flock  I  would  surely  get  some 
ducks,  for  blue-wing  teal  fly  closer  together  than  any  other 
of  our  ducks. 

I  dropped  down  the  river  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and 
was  then  able  to  cross  over  to  the  same  side  of  the  river 
where  the  ducks  were  but  was  nearly  a  half  mile  from  them 
and  out  of  their  sight  on  account  of  the  bend  in  the  river. 
I  rowed  into  shore,  slipped  some  shells  into  the  pockets  of 
my  hunting  coat,  and  drew  the  boat  up  on  the  bank  safely. 
T  had  marked  about  where  the  flock  was  located  by  trees  on 
the  opposite  bank,  as  the  banks  are  heavily  wooded  along 
this  part  of  the  Des  Plaines. 

Going  back  into  the  woods  a  sufficient  distance  I  made  a 
detour  of  about  a  half  mile  and  came  out  cautiously  toward 
the  river. 

Sure  enough,  there  they  were  directly  opposite  me  and  1 
had  gauged  it  about  right.  By  being  careful  not  to  tread  on 
any  sticks  to  alarm  them  I  gradually  worked  within  about 
35  yards  of  them,  as  near  as  I  could  estimate  the  distance. 
It  is  against  my  principles  to  take  pot  shots,  and  1  rarely 
shoot  a  bird  on  the  water,  but  the  flock  was  bunched  so  close 
together  I  could  not  resist  shooting  the  first  barrel  at  them 
on  the  water. 

I  fired  a  shot  at  where  they  seemed  to  be  gathered  the 
thickest  and  as  the  air  appeared  to  be  full  of  ducks  at  the 
report,  I  fired  my  second  barrel.  There  were  seven  or  eight 
of  the  little  beauties  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  water  and 
giving  a  few  last  spasmodic  flutters  of  their  wings  and  kick- 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  61 

ing  their  feet.  The  balance  of  the  flock  flew  on  up  the  river 
out  of  sight. 

There  was  hardly  any  current  in  the  river  at  this  point 
and  the  ducks  lay  where  they  had  fallen,  thirty-five  yards  or 
so  from  shore  and  finally  lay  quiet.  There  were  no  wounded 
or  wing-broken  ones  among  them. 

Being  in  no  hurry  to  retrieve  them,  as  my  boat  was  down 
stream  and  they  would  float  towards  it  anyway,  I  reloaded 
my  gun  and  stood  on  the  river  bank  a  few  minutes. 

Glancing  up  the  river  all  at  once  I  saw  a  flash  of  blue  and 
white  wings  approaching  me  swiftly.  A  flock  of  teal  were 
coming  down  the  river  at  top  speed  and  they  were  not  ap- 
parently the  same  flock  I  had  just  shot  at.  I  dropped  down 
out  of  sight  and  they  swung  right  in  over  the  ducks  lying  on 
the  water  but  did  not  seem  to  have  any  intention  of  stopping. 
They  were  within  range,  however,  and  I  hastily  got  in  both 
barrels  in  two  cross-firing  shots  as  they  whizzed  by  me. 
There  was  a  succession  of  splashes  as  a  number  of  birds  fell 
dead  into  the  river  alongside  the  others. 

I  reloaded  again  and  was  about  to  start  down  to  get  my 
boat  when  a  third  flock  came  down  the  river  and,  my  dead 
ducks  perhaps  acting  somewhat  as  decoys,  they  swung  in 
over  them  and  I  had  two  more  shots  at  fairly  close  range. 

When  I  came  up  with  my  boat  to  pick  the  ducks  up  and 
counted  them  I  found  that  I  had,  including  the  three  pre- 
viously killed,  thirty-two  blue-wing  teal,  all  killed  within  the 
space  of  a  half  hour,  and  no  cripples. 

Feeling  somewhat  guilty  and  thinking  I  had  depopulated 
the  duck  family  enough  for  one  day,  T  started  down  the  rivei" 
for  home. 


62  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Mallard. 


If  a  vote  were  to  be  taken  among  duck  hunters  as  to  which 
is  the  most  popular  wild  duck  in  this  country,  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying  the  mallard  would  poll  the  most  votes. 

The  mallard  is  truly  a  splendid  bird  and  one  reason  why 
he  is  so  much  admired  is  because  it  takes  more  skill  to  cir- 
cumvent the  wily  fellow  than  it  does  some  others  of  the  duck 
family. 

When  a  flock  of  mallards  are  about  to  alight  in  a  pond  in 
the  prairie  or  are  coming  into  your  decoys,  they  circle  about 
countless  times,  inspecting  the  place  from  all  sides  to  see  if 
everything  looks  just  right  before  dropping  in. 

The  mallard  associates  more  or  less  with  nearly  all  of  the 
different  varieties  of  non-diving  ducks,  probably  with  the 
pintail  the  most. 

In  times  gone  by  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  mallard 
shooting  in  little  ponds  in  the  corn-fields  in  the  Spring,  and 
at  times  the  overflowed  area  along  the  great  rivers  has  been 
quite  extensive,  and  is  a  great  resort  of  these  birds,  but  now 
that  we  have  prohibition  of  Spring  shooting,  there  is  an  end 
to  this  so  far  as  the  duck  hunter  is  concerned. 

The  mallard's  favorite  habitat  is  little  rush-surrounded 
ponds  rather  than  stretches  of  open  water.  When  these 
secluded  ponds  are  frozen  they  then  are  driven  to  the  larger 
expanses  of  adjoining  lakes  and  rivers. 

The  best  mallard  shooting  is  generally  to  be  had  in  the^ 
most  severe  weather,  as  the  birds  will  not  leave  as  long  as 
there  is  any  open  water,  and  during  snow  storms  and  heavy 
wind  storms  are  the  times  when  the  best  sport  is  to  be  had. 

The  mallard  responds  to  the  call  probably  more  readily 
than  most  anv  of  the  wild  ducks. 


U 

Q  h 

< 


?o 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  63 


An  Eighteen-Mile  Row  on  the  Missouri  and  a  Few  Mallards. 


Every  seasoned  diick-lmnter  can  remember  some  particular 
day's  sport  in  which  he  had  some  peculiar  experience  out  of 
the  ordinary,  such  as  finding  ducks  in  unexpected  places,  etc. 
He  may  not  have  made  a  large  bag,  but  something  unusual 
happening  causes  him  to  always  recollect  it. 

During  several  years'  residence  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  I  did 
considerable  hunting  on  the  Missouri  Eiver  from  that  point, 
and  also  made  several  trips  to  the  Platte  River.  I  found 
much  better  shooting  than  I  expected  near  so  large  a  city 
as  Omaha. 

The  Missouri  is  a  difficult  river  to  navigate  at  many  points. 
Above  and  below"  Omaha  we  were  forced  to  use  two  pairs  of 
oars  on  a  ducking  boat,  and  then  there  were  places  where 
we  could  hardly  breast  the  current.  The  best  shooting 
grounds  near  Omaha  were  down  the  river  and  we  would 
make  a  trip  of  from  15  to  20  miles  in  a  day  and  return, 
having  to  start  on  our  return  trip  back  up  the  river  in  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  or  we  would  not  be  able  to  reach 
the  city  that  same  day. 

One  day  in  November  I  started  to  row  down  the  Missouri, 
not  knowing  just  where  I  was  going  in  particular,  as  ducks 
did  not  seem  to  be  very  numerous.  I  had  about  twenty-five 
decoys  in  mj^  boat,  intending  to  set  them  out  and  try  my  luck 
if  I  could  find  any  spot  that  the  ducks  seemed  to  favor. 

Rowing  along  quietly  near  shore  with  the  gun  within  reach 
as  was  my  custom,  suddenly  a  pair  of  mallards  flew  out  from 
the  trees  bordering  the  river  bank.  Ah!  a  chance  for  a 
double,  I  thought,  as  I  seized  the  gun.     At  the  crack  of  the 


64  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

first  barrel   one   dropped,   holding   above   the   second   one's 
head,  doA\m  he  came  at  the  discharge  of  the  second  barrel. 
.     Well,  there  was  a  starter  on  the  day's  sport,  anyway. 

Resuming  my  oars,  I  had  traveled  a  mile  or  so  further 
when  a  lone  mallard  shot  out  from  shore  in  great  haste  to 
get  out  of  danger.  A  charge  of  No.  5's  well  placed  stopped 
his  career  then  and  there. 

I  journeyed  a  coujile  of  miles  further  and  had  not  seen 
another  duck  and  no  prospects  of  using  my  decoys  as  there 
were  no  ducks  in  flight. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  great  fluttering  of  wings  from  a 
bunch  of  willow  trees  just  in  front  of  my  boat  and  a  pair  of 
mallards  were  trying  their  best  to  break  all  speed  records 
for  ducks  in  trying  to  get  out  of  range.  Two  well-directed 
shots  ended  their  earthly  plans  right  there  and  they  w^ere  in 
duck  heaven  with  the  others,  if  there  is  such  a  place. 

I  now  had  five  mallards  and  loitered  around  an  hour  or  so 
and  ate  the  lunch  I  had  brought  with  me,  making  some  cotfee 
over  a  fire  on  the  river  bank. 

As  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  ducks  moving  and  very 
few  in  the  country  I  finally  started  home,  returning  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  on  my  way  up  stream. 

On  my  return  trip  (I  had  been  about  nine  miles  down  the 
Missouri)  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  shots  at  another 
pair  of  mallards  and  they  met  the  same  fate  as  their  prede- 
cessors.    That  made  me  seven  birds. 

Finally,  and  lastly,  a  solitary  mallard  was  bagged  just  as 
the  others  had  been,  as  he  flushed  from  shore  at  the  approach 
of  my  boat. 

Now,  eight  mallards  is  not  a  large  bag,  but  each  one  had 
been  killed  singly  and  I  had  not  fired  any  other  shots  except 
at  tliese  eight  ducks  and  had  scored  the  eight  straight. 


DUCK    SHOOTII^G    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  65 

A  Narrow  Escape. 


I  have  had  several  narrow  escapes  from  being  capsized 
on  stormy  waters  and  ice-covered  rivers  during  my  hunting- 
career. 

For  a  ducking  boat  to  use  on  a  river  in  all  kinds  of  weather 
give  me  either  a  galvanized-iron  boat  or  a  steel  boat.  Ice 
cannot  hurt  one  of  these  boats,  or  striking  a  submerged  log. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  about  to  start  returning  from  a 
day's  hunt  on  the  Illinois.  It  was  late  in  November  and  one 
of  my  brothers  was  with  me. 

It  had  been  gradually  growing  colder  during  the  day  and 
considerable  ice  was  forming  on  the  surface  of  the  river,  run- 
ning down  the  river  in  large  sheets.  There  was  usually  a 
narrow  strip  of  water  between  the  ice  floes,  with  the  ice  piled 
up  several  inches  deep  on  the  edges  of  the  floes  where  the 
cakes  had  come  in  contact.  These  strips  of  open  water  were 
becoming  narrower  as  night  approached  and  the  weather  be- 
came colder. 

We  started  on  a  six-mile  row  down  the  river  home,  keep- 
ing in  between  the  floating  cakes  of  rapidly  moving  ice. 

We  had  got  about  two  miles  when  we  discovered  there  was 
a  channel  in  the  middle  of  the  river  only  and  the  ice  extended 
out  in  a  solid  frozen  mass  from  either  shore.  Farther  down 
the  river  the  ice  had  ceased  running  entirely  and  the  ice 
coming  down  the  main  channel  striking  the  stationary  ice 
caused  a  great  crashing  and  grinding. 

We  hurriedly  went  back  up  the  river  a  half  mile,  dodging 
the  ice  floes,  and  were  lucky  enough  to  be  able  to  reach  shore. 
We  pulled  our  boat  up  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  walked 
home  about  four  and  a  half  miles  through  the  falling  snow. 


66  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Wood  Duck. 


Wood  ducks  are  the  most  graceful  of  any  of  the  wild 
ducks,  and  have  most  strange  nocturnal  habits,  nightly  visit- 
ing every  stretch  of  water  along  the  wooded  streams  and 
ponds  for  miles  around  their  habitat.  They  also  make  a 
flight  nearly  every  afternoon  to  some  adjoining  stream  or 
lake,  always  preferring  those  surrounded  by  timber.  They 
do  not  pay  much  attention  to  decoys,  but  sometimes  will  fly 
by  the  blind  within  gunshot. 

I  have  reason  to  believe  that  they  return  to  the  same 
locality  to  nest  each  successive  season, 

Wallace  Evans  has  both  the  wood  duck  and  the  mandarin 
duck  of  China  in  his  large  collection  of  game  birds  in  his 
preserve  at  Oak  Park  and  I  have  had  an  opportunity  to 
compare  their  plumage.  Of  course  I  slightly  favor  the 
American  bird  as  a  matter  of  patriotism.  Each  bird  is 
beautiful  in  a  different  way  in  the  same  manner  that  one 
flower  is  handsome  and  another  one  equally  so.  The  man- 
darin duck's  plumage  is  a  blending  of  different  shades  of 
brown,  while  the  wood  duck's  general  coloring  is  mostly  of 
darker  tints. 

Excellent  live  specimens  of  both  species  may  also  be  seen 
at  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago. 

The  wood  duck  is  a  very  swift  flier  and  on  occasion  can 
go  through  the  timber  at  a  high  speed  when  flushed  along 
some  wooded  stream. 

They  love  to  frequent  bends  in  the  rivers  and  creeks  rather 
than  straight  stretches  of  the  streams  and  invariably  nest  in 
trees. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  67 


On  the  Migration  of  Wild-Fowl. 


Presently,  from  far  along  the  dark  heights  of  the  sky,  came  voices,  hollow, 
musical,  confused.  It  hinted  of  wide  distances  voyaged  on  tireless  wings,  of  a 
tropic  winter  passed  in  feeding  amid  remote,  high-watered  meadows  of  Mexico 
and  Texas,  of  long  flights  yet  to  go,  toward  the  rocky  tarns  of  Labrador  and 
the  reed-beds  of  Ungava. — Charles  G.  D.  Eoberts. 


The  migrations  of  birds,  if  studied  closely,  at  once  sur- 
prise and  astonish  us.  The  marvelous  sagacity  which  enables 
them  to  foresee  the  seasons,  the  conditions  of  the  atmosphere 
and  the  direction  which  they  have  to  travel  are  Avonderful. 

Man  achieves  long  land  and  sea  voyages  by  the  aid  of 
steam  and  air  ships,  directs  his  course  over  the  trackless 
ocean  by  means  of  the  sextant  and  compass,  the  calendar 
w^arns  him  of  approaching  w^inter,  and  storms  and  cold  are 
foretold  by  the  barometer  and  thermometer.  But  the  bird, 
without  any  of  these  appliances,  makes  long  voyages,  direct- 
ing itself  unerringly  to  a  point  thousands  of  miles  distant. 

Rapidity  of  flight  is  the  essential  attribute  of  the  bird. 
Nature  has  concentrated  in  this  faculty  all  its  muscular 
force. 

To  great  powers  of  flight  the  bird  adds  a  keenness  of  vision 
which  enables  it  to  survey  the  vast  horizon  which  it  looks 
down  upon  and  to  direct  its  course  by  distant  objects  with 
the  utmost  precision.  The  naturalist  Buffon  declared  that 
the  powers  of  sight  possessed  by  high-flying  birds  is  at  least 
twenty  times  greater  than  that  of  man. 

It  is  true  that  some  varieties  of  ducks  on  migrating  in  the 
Fall  from  the  North  pass  through  to  the  Southern  resorts 
of  the  wild-fowl  without  stopping  hardly  at  all.     Other  kinds 


68  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

stop  more  or  less  on  the  way,  and  it  is  these  particular  spe- 
cies that  give  ns  onr  fall  shooting.  This  explains  why  some 
varieties  of  ducks  are  plentiful  in  the  spring  and  scarce  in 
the  fall.  In  the  fall  they  did  not  stop  on  their  migration 
until  reaching  Southern  waters. 

It  is  remarkable  what  distances  wild  ducks  cover  in  their 
migrations  each  season.  With  the  exception  of  the  wood 
duck,  which  nests  in  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  all  of 
the  Middle  and  Western  States,  most  other  varieties  of  wild 
ducks  nest  north  of  the  northern  boundaries  of  the  United 
States.  They  cover  in  their  peregrinations  from  Saskatche- 
wan, Alberta  and  the  far  north  to  Florida,  Texas  and  the 
States  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Formerly  many  of  our  wild  ducks  bred  in  great  numbers 
in  the  United  States,  in  all  the  more  northerly  States,  as  Wis- 
consin, Michigan,  Minnesota,  the  Dakotas,  Montana,  Wyom- 
ing and  Idaho,  but  the  continual  persecution  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected  has  driven  them  north  beyond  the  con- 
fines of  the  United  States  in  self-preservation. 

The  Illinois  River  and  adjoining  lakes  and  streams  has 
always  been  a  favored  and  famous  resort  of  wild-fowl  and  I 
have  seen  ''travellers,"  i.  e.,  ducks  making  the  long  migra- 
tory flight  north  in  the  Spring,  and  very  often  high  in  the 
air,  on  reaching  the  Illinois,  would  descend  in  great  spirals, 
with  many  joyous  quackings,  as  if  to  say,  "Here  is  our  home 
and  haven  of  rest  at  last!" 

"One  of  the  fine  coastwise  sights  in  New  England  is  the 
spring  flight  of  the  eider  ducks.  During  the  early  days  of 
April,  a  mile  or  two  off  the  Chatham  bars,  I  have  seen  long 
lines  of  them,  coming  all  the  time,  pass  on  their  way  north. 
Each  flock  is  led  by  a  male — a  striking  creature  with  his 


Vouiio-   Wild   Milliards  on   Clyde   H.  Tenell's  Fanii,  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  69 

white  back,  black  under  parts,  and  greenish  head.  The  brown 
females  alternate  with  the  males  more  or  less  irregularly, 
and  the  string  of  the  large,  swiftly  moving  fowl,  fifty  to  a 
hundred  or  more  in  number,  is  an  impressive  sight." — Her- 
bert K.  Job. 

How  long  a  time  wild-fowl  stop  at  various  points  on  their 
migratory  journeys  depends  on  the  weather  and  also  of 
course  on  how  much  they  are  disturbed.  If  the  weather  is 
stormy  and  cold  they  remain  sufficiently  long  until  the 
weather  becomes  more  moderate  and  their  instinct  tells  them 
to  push  on  north  for  the  nesting  season.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  most  varieties  of  wild-fowl  can  withstand  extremely 
cold  weather.  In  the  fall  they  remain  usually  as  long  as 
there  is  open  water. 

"To  make  the  acquaintance  in  the  nesting  season  of  certain 
other  ducks  which  do  not  go  to  the  remote  North,  we  shall 
have  to  explore  the  Atlantic  Coast  region.  It  is  by  no 
means  as  easy  to  find  them  there  as  on  the  Great  Plains,  yet 
patient  searching  will  now  and  then  be  rewarded.  Most  of 
the  sea  ducks,  such  as  the  scoters  and  old  squaws,  migrate 
to  Labrador  and  bej^ond.  Some  day  I  hojDe  to  follow  them, 
but  as  yet  my  wanderings  have  not  been  extended  north  of 
the  Magdalen  Islands.  Yet  there  are  some  interesting  ducks 
even  there  to  be  studied.  "^ — Herbert  K.  Job. 


A  great  deal  has  been  accomplished  in  the  last  few  years 
since  our  Government  has  taken  a  more  active  interest  in 
protecting  our  game  birds. 


70  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Passing-  of  the  Passenger  Pigeon. 


On  September  1,  1914,  there  died  at  the  Cincinnati  Zoolog- 
ical Gardens,  the  last  passenger  pigeon  in  the  world,  so  far 
as  is  known.  S.  A.  Stephan,  general  manager  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Zoological  Company,  states  that  they  originally  had 
at  the  Gardens  eight  of  these  birds,  of  which  the  one  here 
referred  to  was  the  last. 

The  bird  was  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  Institntion  at  Wash- 
ington to  be  photographed,  and  later  on  was  mounted.  It  is 
now  on  exhibition  in  the  ornithological  rooms  of  the  National 
Musenm. 

How  sad  it  seems  that  this  beautiful  bird  is  now  gone  for- 
ever! Once  countless  thousands  in  numbers,  darkening  the 
sky  in  its  flight,  and  now  but  a  forgotten  memory ! 

One  glorious  October  day,  w^hile  hunting  on  the  Illinois,  I 
saw  flock  after  flock  of  the  passenger  pigeons,  coming  from 
the  North,  each  flock  out  of  sight  of  the  preceding  one,  and 
still  following  identically  the  same  course  in  their  flight. 

Stationing  myself  in  the  trees  bordering  the  river  bank, 
during  the  course  of  the  afternoon  I  shot  about  fifteen  of 
these  handsome  birds.  At  various  other  times  I  have  seen 
and  bagged  quite  a  number. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  wild  pigeon  was  that  it 
would  always  alight  in  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees  only,  and 
invariablv  one  destitute  of  leaves. 

The  bird  was  never  so  plentiful  in  Illinois  as  in  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  and  other  States  with  heavier  timber.  There  is 
considerable  resemblance  between  the  passenger  pigeon  and 
the  mourning  dove,  or  turtle  dove.  Yet  one  bird  has  been 
exterminated  and  the  other  not. 


FROM   COL.   RUTHVEN    DEANE 

125 


PASSENGER  PIGEON. 
(Ectopistes  migratorius  Linn). 


COPYRIGHT    1900,    BY   A.    W.    MUMFORD,    CH'CAGO 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  71 

The  Dog  Who  Was  Determined  To  Go  Hunting. 


This  interesting  story  was  told  to  me  by  Mr.  M.  P.  Riley,  of 
Chicago,  and  is  one  of  the  best  dog  stories  I  have  ever  heard. 

A  few  years  ago  Mr.  Riley  spent  a  number  of  winters  in 
Florida,  and  while  there  did  considerable  hunting.  On  the 
occasion  of  one  of  his  visits  there,  not  having  a  dog  of  his 
own  with  him,  Mr.  Riley  borrowed  a  setter  from  a  neighbor 
several  times. 

They  were  living  a  number  of  miles  from  the  nearest  town 
and  Mr.  Riley  had  a  horse  and  light  wagon  with  which  he 
used  to  drive  back  and  forth  from  town  for  ammunition,  sup- 
plies, etc.  He  also  used  the  same  horse  and  wagon  on  his 
hunting  trips  and  the  dog  had  always  ridden  in  the  wagon 
on  these  various  hunting  expeditions. 

The  people  who  owned  the  dog  did  not  take  him  hunting 
very  much,  but  as  Mr.  Riley  had  done  so  several  times  the 
dog  began  to  consider  him  his  best  friend  and  would  follow 
him  around  and  always  had  a  weather  eye  open  when  he  saw 
Mr.  Riley  handling  a  gun  or  any  of  his  shooting  parapher- 
nalia. 

In  short,  it  became  his  chief  aim  in  life  to  see  that  Mr. 
Riley  did  not  slip  away  surreptitiously  without  him  for  a 
hunt. 

Finally  the  people  who  owned  the  dog  did  not  seem  to  like 
to  have  the  dog  accompany  Mr.  Riley  and  he  decided,  in 
order  not  to  have  any  misunderstanding  with  his  neighbors, 
not  to  take  the  dog  with  him  any  more. 

A  few  days  after  the  dog  had  accompanied  him  on  his  (as 
Mr.  Riley  intended  for  the  dog)  final  hunting  trip,  Mr.  Riley 


72  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

hitched  his  horse  to  the  light  wagon  early  in  the  morning, 
intending  to  drive  to  the  towTi  some  miles  distant  and  get 
some  ammunition  and  then  spend  the  balance  of  the  day 
hunting. 

After  he  had  got  started  he  saw  the  dog  following  along 
behind  at  a  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

By  the  time  he  had  reached  the  little  town,  the  dog  had 
overtaken  him  and  was  trotting  along  behind  the  wagon. 

Mr.  Riley  drove  up  to  the  little  liveiy  stable  in  the  town 
and  the  attendant  unhitched  the  horse,  put  him  in  the  stable 
and  backed  the  light  wagon  into  the  carriage  shed. 

The  dog  followed  Mr.  Riley  in  and  out  of  a  couple  of  the 
stores  and  Mr.  Riley  bethought  himself  of  a  plan  whereby  he 
thought  he  could  get  rid  of  the  dog.  On  one  of  the  principal 
streets  of  the  to^^Tl  was  a  drug  store  with  two  entrances,  one 
on  each  street,  and  Mr.  Riley  thought  he  would  go  in  one 
door,  remain  in  there  a  while  and  then  slip  out  the  side 
door,  leaving  the  dog  outside. 

The  plan  w^orked  all  right.  Mr.  Riley  remained  in  the  store 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  came  outside  cautiously,  and 
there  was  no  dog  in  sight. 

He  congratulated  himself  on  giving  the  dog  the  slip  that 
time  and  went  over  to  the  livery  stable  to  get  his  horse  and 
wagon. 

The  attendant  brought  out  his  horse  and  they  pulled  the 
wagon  out  of  the  carriage  shed,  when  behold,  on  looking  in 
the  wagon,  there  was  the  dog  lying  curled  up  in  the  bottom 
of  the  wagon  where  he  had  always  ridden  and  apparently 
very  comfortable. 

He  was  not  going  to  be  deprived  of  his  hunting  trip  liy 
any  such  strategy! 


"LUNCH  TIME  FOR  A  BUNCH  OF  CHESAPEAKKS. 


Courtesy  of  J.  F.  Parks,  Battle  iVloiintain  Kennels,  Hot  Springs,  S.  D. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  73 

On  the  Grand  Old  Illinois. 


Thou  splendid  river,  widening  through  the  meadows  green. — Longfellow. 


To  one  who  loves  boating,  hnnting  and  fishing  the  Illinois 
River  is  a  source  of  continual  joy.  It  is  indeed  a  splendid 
stream.  The  beautiful  expanses  of  water  afford  many  a 
pleasant  prospect.  The  magnificent  trees  which  line  its 
banks,  the  many  creeks  which  flow  into  it  at  intervals  of 
every  few  miles,  the  beautiful  islands  which  dot  its  waters 
and  are  scattered  throughout  its  whole  length  and  also  nu- 
merous adjoining  lakes  in  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  make  it 
a  paradise  for  one  who  loves  Nature  and  outdoor  life. 

What  can  be  a  more  enjoyable  outing  than  for  a  few  choice 
spirits  to  journey  along  the  Illinois,  stopping  to  camp  each 
night  in  the  splendid  adjoining  woods,  and  be  for  the  time 
veritable  water  gypsies.  Traveling  by  land  is  not  to  be  com- 
pared for  real  pleasure  with  traveling  b}^  water.  Some 
people  in  this  present-day  mad  rush  of  living  prefer  a  motor- 
boat,  but  for  myself  give  me  an  easy-running  row-boat  and 
a  pair  of  oars.  It  is  the  finest  exercise  in  the  world  and 
surely  beneficial  to  health. 

I  venture  to  say  that  no  stream  or  body  of  water  in 
America,  unless  possibly  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  has  furnished 
such  splendid  wild-fowl  shooting  as  the  Illinois  River  duck- 
ing grounds.  Many  a  day  have  I  rowed  a  boat  10  and  12 
miles  and  return  in  a  day's  trip,  and  sometimes  even  15 
miles  and  return,  hunting  on  the  way.  Traveling  up  or  domi 
the  river  I  have  traveled  as  much  as  35  miles  in  a  day. 

Among  the  towns  noted  for  duck  shooting  in  their  neigh- 


Y4  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

borlioocl  are  Morris,  Ottawa,  De  Pue,  Hennepin,  Henry, 
Lacon,  Chillicothe,  Rome,  Liverpool,  Havana,  Browning, 
Beardstown,  Meredosia,  Naples  and  Kampsville.  Except  on 
the  upper  reaches  of  the  river,  little  shooting  is  done  in  the 
main  channel,  the  birds  frequenting  the  adjoining  waters 
along  the  river  almost  entirely. 

"I  do  not  wonder  that  the  old  French  voyageurs  loved  the 
Illinois  Eiver,  and  risked  their  lives  and  their  fortunes  gladly 
to  visit  and  to  dwell  by  it.  The  fascination  that  it  had  for 
La  Salle,  for  Tonti,  for  Joliet,  for  Marquette,  and  for  the 
countless  explorers  who  frequented  this  trail  to  the  South- 
west, still  lies  upon  it,  waiting.  Its  clear  water,  its  gentle 
current,  its  fretless  channel,  its  green-clad,  bordering  hill- 
sides, its  fabulous  grain-fields,  its  forests,  conspire  to  weave 
about  the  drifting  traveler  a  spell  which  he  is  loath  to  break. ' ' 
— Fro7n  the  ''Log  of  the  Easy  Way,"  by  John  L.  Matthews. 

The  Use  of  Decoys. 


And  eastward  where  the  river  winds  along, 

High  up  a  pair  of  mallards  wing  their  flight 

With  outstretched  necks  and  pinions  fleet  and  strong. 

— Poems  of  Gun  and  Eod. 


When  entering  a  lake,  bayou  or  marsh  where  you  are  going 
to  use  your  decoys,  note  where  the  largest  number  of  ducks 
are  located.  Tliat  is  the  place  to  set  out  your  decoys,  because 
that  is  either  their  feeding  ground  or  their  favorite  resort, 
provided  they  have  not  been  previously  disturbed,  and  have 
flown  or  swam  out  to  the  middle  of  the  open  water  for  safety. 

The  more  decoys  you  use  the  farther  away  the  ducks  can 
see   them,  and   every  hunter  knows   that  ducks   invariably 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  75 

prefer  alighting  where  the  largest  number  are  assembled. 

A  few  years  ago  my  brother  and  myself  took  100  decoys 
on  our  hnnting  expeditions.  At  times  we  used  them  all  in 
one  flock  and  both  shot  from  one  stand.  At  other  times  we 
split  them  up  into  two  flocks  of  50  each  and  located  some  dis- 
tance apart  and  got  more  birds  in  this  manner. 

Some  of  the  best  shooting  I  have  ever  had  I  got  over  a 
flock  of  20  or  25  decoys.  Transporting  a  large  number  of 
decoys  is  sometimes  considerable  trouble  and  on  the  very 
stormy  days,  wiien  the  best  shooting  is  to  be  had,  ducks  will 
come  in  quite  as  readily  to  a  moderate  sized  flock. 

Always  set  your  decoys  somewhat  scattered  out  with  an 
open  expanse  in  the  middle  and  with  some  tollers  pretty  well 
off  to  windward  for  deep-water  ducks.  You  cannot  have 
tollers  very  far  away  for  mallards,  because  they  are  liable 
to  alight  out  of  range. 

A^n:iile  shooting  over  decoys,  I  have  had  several  laughable 
experiences.  On  several  occasions,  where  I  have  not  been 
able  to  see  them  on  account  of  an  over-hanging  bank,  other 
hunters  have  almost  blown  my  stools  out  of  the  water  by  a 
fusillade  of  shots.  Their  chagrin  on  discovering  how  they 
had  been  duped  almost  repaid  me  for  the  damage  done. 

To  illustrate  the  ideas  of  some  hunters  about  decoys  Long 
tells  a  little  story.  He  said  one  spring  day  he  and  his  hunt- 
ing partners  were  coming  up  the  Illinois,  and,  being  over- 
taken by  a  rain-storm,  took  refuge  temporarily  in  a  ware- 
house on  the  river-front  of  the  towTi.  Among  other  spectators 
and  visitors  was  a  sporting  New  Yorker,  with  the  latest  in 
the  way  of  hunting  costumes.  In  answer  to  their  inquiry  as 
to  whether  game  was  plent3^  the  New  Yorker  said,  "Yes, 
there  was  plenty  of  ducks,  but  they  were  fearfully  wild!" 


76  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Asking  him  what  kind  of  decoys  he  used  he  said  he  had  mal- 
lards, redheads,  butterballs,  canvasbacks,  pintails  and  teal. 
In  response  to  a  further  inquiry  as  to  how  many  he  had  he 
said  he  had  thirteen.  They  did  not  ask  what  was  the  odd 
one  was,  being  entirely  satisfied  as  to  why  the  ducks  were  so 
terribly  wild.  Long  and  his  partners  subsequently  found  that 
the  ducks  decoyed  very  well  to  a  good-sized  flock  of  the 
proper  proportions. 

In  shooting  from  a  sink-box  on  Chesapeake  Bay  from  300 
to  500  decoys  have  sometimes  been  used. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  more  than  two  kinds  of  decoys. 
Mallard  decoys  for  shoal-water  ducks  and  canvasbacks  for 
deep-water  ducks.  Bluebills  and  teal  decoy  very  readily  to 
either  of  these,  as  also  do  redheads.  It  is  somewhat  strange 
that  although  redheads  and  canvasbacks  are  so  similar  in 
their  habits,  still  they  do  not  associate.  But  they  are  both 
very  often  found  flocking  with  bluebills. 

Do  not  use  cheap  decoys.  The  pride  in  having  good  decoys 
is  so  great  that  the  extra  cost  is  not  to  be  considered.  The 
most  artistic  decoys  I  have  seen  are  made  by  Elliston,  at 
Lake  Senachwine  (Putnam,  Illinois).  Mr.  Elliston  has  spent 
more  than  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  making  boats  and 
decoys. 

Set  out  your  decoys  ivhere  the  ducks  ivish  to  feed. 

Long  gives  this  as  the  great  secret  of  success  in  shooting 
over  decoys:  Set  your  decoys  so  that  the  sun  will  shine  on 
them  from  the  side  hy  ivhich  the  ducks  approach. 


''My  First   (louse.''     Courtesy  of  Clyde  B.   Terrell,   Oshkosh.  Wisconsin. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  77 


Mallard  Shooting  in  the  Overflowed  Timber. 


No  painter  can  draw  a  line  on  canvas  like  the  flight  of  wild-fo\Yl  along  the  sky.- 

Ernest  McGaffey. 


The  mallard  is  indeed  a  noble  bird,  but  is  very  wary  and 
cautious,  and  with  extremely  sharp  vision  and  keen  hearing. 
Timber  mallard  shooting  in  the  overflowed  woods  bordering  a 
river  like  the  Illinois  is  fine  sport  and  perhaps  one  then  has 
these  splendid  birds  at  a  disadvantage,  for  they  have  to  come 
down  through  openings  in  the  great  oak  and  maple  trees  to 
your  decoys  set  in  an  open  place  in  the  timber  and  so  cannot 
exercise  their  extreme  vigilance  so  well. 

There  is  not  so  much  timber  shooting  on  the  upper  Illinois, 
but  I  once  spent  three  weeks  at  Senachwine  Lake,  near  Hen- 
nepin, Illinois,  and  shot  in  the  overflowed  timber  every  day. 
I  usually  killed  from  two  to  three  dozen  mallards  each  day. 
There  are  some  experienced  duck-callers  in  that  locality  who 
can  literally  talk  the  duck  language.  It  is  well  to  use  the 
caller  almost  continuously  in  timber  shooting,  because  many 
times  the  ducks  are  within  hearing  distance  although  you 
cannot  see  them  on  account  of  the  heavy  timber.  Many  of 
the  hunters  now  use  live  callers  around  Henry,  Chillicothe, 
Beardstown  and  other  points  on  the  Illinois. 

I  have  had  some  excellent  timber  mallard  shooting  in  the 
Aux  Sable  Creek  timber  five  miles  above  Morris,  Illinois,  on 
the  Illinois  River.  At  times  the  weather  was  exceedingly 
severe  and  the  birds  were  seeking  the  shelter  of  the  timber. 


78  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Blue- Wing  Teal. 


The  blue-wing  teal  is  a  splendid  little  bird  but  one  has 
never  much  opportunity  to  shoot  them  over  decoys  as  they 
do  not  remain  in  this  latitude  after  the  weather  gets  severe. 
They  are  the  first  of  the  migratory  ducks  to  reach  here  in 
the  fall  on  their  way  south  and  the  last  to  return  north  in 
the  spring.  They  fly  very  swiftly  and  true  and  are  always  in 
good  condition  and  plump. 

I  am  especially  fond  of  hunting  and  shooting  the  blue-wing 
teal  and  in  my  opinion  it  is  one  of  our  finest  game  birds.  I 
find  many  hunters  admire  the  green-wing,  but  I  much  prefer 
to  shoot  the  blue-wdng  as  they  are  not  nearly  so  erratic  in 
their  flight,  do  not  dart  around  as  the  green-wing  does,  and 
do  not  shoot  up  into  the  air  as  the  green-wing  does  when 
you  fire  at  them,  relying  more  on  full  speed  ahead  to  take 
them  out  of  danger, 

I  have  seen  blue-wdng  teal  in  such  vast  flocks  in  the  fall 
that  they  resembled  huge  swarms  of  bees.  They  must  be 
very  prolific  and  surely  there  is  no  better  bird  on  the  table. 

"There  is  a  charm  about  teal  shooting  which  coaxes  the 
sportsman  to  the  resorts  of  these  dainty  birds  at  times  before 
frost  has  tipped  the  rushes  or  silvered  the  meadows  in  the 
adjacent  fields.  Late  September  and  early  October  are  the 
months  when  teal  are  hunted  in  the  North,  and  the  warm 
bright  sunshine  of  midday  finds  the  birds  feeding  in  the 
marsh,  or  basking  aloug  the  banks  of  some  stream,  or  at  tlie 
sides  of  a  dilapidated  nniskrat  house  near  the  edge  of  open 
water." — Williami  Bruce  Lefingwell. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  79 

The  Passing  of  the  Marshland. 


Last  green  that  to  the  touch  of  Autumn  yields, 
As  0  'er  the  land  her  mj'stic  spell  she  wields. 

— Symes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


BY   ROSS    KINER. 


Phillip  came  in  the  other  day  bringing  with  him  four 
beantifnl  ears  of  corn.  Spreading  them  ont  on  the  window 
ledge  he  said:  "There!  just  look  at  that  corn,  raised  right 
in  the  middle  of  what  was  St.  Peter's  marsh.  I  brought  you 
those  to  show  the  boys  what  kind  of  crops  could  be  raised 
right  where  you  used  to  shoot  ducks." 

"Huh!"  as  if  I  cared  how  much  or  how  good  corn  was 
raised  so  long  as  they  had  ruined  the  best  duck  marsh  in 
Illinois.  Corn!  all  corn!  Corn  across  the  flat  of  Nower's 
pasture;  corn  Avhere  the  muskrat  houses  were;  corn  crowd- 
ing in  on  the  Meredosia's  bed;  corn  on  the  Mud  Creek  bot- 
toms.    Kismet!     It  is  fate! 

Yesterday,  only  yesterday,  I  picked  up  the  little  22  and 
leaving  Rickel's  store,  I  wandered  north  by  west  across  the 
pasture  land,  along  the  deep  "dredge  ditch,"  until  I  came 
to  that  wooded  island  that  used  to  lie,  all  marsh  surrounded, 
in  the  center  of  the  "big  slough,"  the  slough  that  used  to 
run  from  the  Green  River  to  the  Rock,  with  at  the  center  a 
divide,  the  water  of  the  southern  slope  sullen  or  rapid  as 
the  grade  permitted,  finally  swelling  the  narrow  and  tortuous 
Green  River ;  the  other  spinning  to  the  north,  plunging  with 
a  swirl  into  the  Rock,  at  the  mouth  of  the  round  bayou. 
Corn,  all  corn!     I  stood  beneath  the  black  oaks  and  looked 


80  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

toward  the  east,  there  Avhere  the  cattails  and  rushes  grew: 
that  where  Harry's  "pump"  failed  him;  there  where  the 
mallards,  at  sunset,  swinging  into  roost  left  their  toll  as 
the  little  Parker  called  "Spang!  spang!  spat!  spat!"  you 
could  hear  those  chilled  7  's  strike  as  the  Dupont  drove  them 
home,  "Two  greenheads!"  and  now,  corn,  all  corn.  North 
and  westward,  ah!  that  wild  meadow  on  that  April  day,  jack 
snipe  after  jack  snipe,  "  scalping "  from  the  cover  of  fresh 
sprouting  flag  and  smartweed.  Again  and  again  the  16-borc 
flashes  to  the  shoulder,  again  and  again  the  Dupont  snaps 
out  its  challenge.  "Gee!"  what  a  dead  center  on  that  bird 
that  hung  for  just  a  breath  upwind. 

Corn,  all  corn!  Southward  to  that  bog  emerald-studded 
pasture  where  on  that  April  evening  T  lay  prostrate  along- 
side that  little  pool,  my  only  blind  a  few  dead  weeds  stuck 
here  and  there  around  me.  "Querreck!  querreck!"  chuckled 
my  live  decoys.  "Querreck!  querreck!"  come  and  lunch  with 
me."     "Now!   well!   of  all  the  bling,  blasted  misses!" 

Corn,  all  corn!  Corn  where  that  pair  of  pintail  met  their 
fate.  Corn,  all  corn,  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Green 
Eiver  marshes.  Corn,  all  corn  in  the  mucky  beds  of  the 
Twin  Lakes.  "Kismet!"  why  rail  at  fate?  Of  times  when 
my  lusty  brothers  of  the  plow  bewail  the  yearly  and  ever- 
increasing  drouths,  those  continued,  long-drawm  out,  sun- 
scorched  summers,  I  say:  "You  have  dredged  and  ditched 
and  tiled  too  much.  You  cannot  get  the  moisture  from  clouds 
over  land  that  has  no  moisture."  Then,  those  lusty  square- 
shouldered  fellows,  who  speak  so  learnedly  of  potash  and 
of  phosphate,  of  hill  drop  and  powdered  lime,  laugh  me  to 
scorn  and  say,  "Huh!  if  you  had  yo}(r  way,  all  you  would 
have  would  be  a  duck  slough."     Perhaps  that,  too,  is  true. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  81 

Senachwine  Lake  in  the  Last  Days  of  the  Old  Muzzleloader. 


A  description  of  the  water-fowl  at  Senachwine  Lake  as  it 
was  thirty-five  years  ago,  by  T.  S.  Van  Dyke: 

It  was  a  bright  September  afternoon  and  as  we  reached 
Senachwine  huge  flocks  of  mallards  rose  with  reverberating 
wings  from  the  borders  of  the  lake  all  around  us  and  mounted 
high,  with  the  sun  brightly  glancing  from  every  plume. 
Plainly  could  I  see  the  sheen  of  their  burnished  necks,  the 
glistening  bars  upon  their  wings,  the  band  of  white  upon 
their  tails,  surmounted  by  dainty  curls  of  shining  green. 

Never  did  Nature  make  a  finer  background  for  such  a  dis- 
play as  appeared  when  twilight  sank  over  the  earth. 

Long  lines  of  wild-fowl  came  streaming  down  the  northern 
sky,  widening  out  and  descending  in  long  lines  or  long,  sweep- 
ing curves.  Dense  bunches  came  rising  out  of  the  horizon, 
hanging  for  a  moment  on  the  glowing  sky,  then  massing  and 
bearing  directly  down  upon  us.  No  longer  as  single  spies, 
but  in  battalions,  they  poured  over  the  bluffs  on  the  west, 
where  the  land  sweeps  into  the  vast  expanse  of  high  prairie, 
and  on  wings  swifter  than  the  wind  itself  came  riding  down 
the  last  beams  of  the  sinking  sun.  Above  them  the  air  was 
dotted  with  long,  wedge-shaped  masses  or  converging  strings, 
more  slowly  moving  than  the  ducks,  from  which  I  could  soon 
hear  the  deep,  mellow  honk  of  the  goose  and  the  clamorous 
cackle  of  the  brant. 

And  through  all  this  were  darting  here  and  there  and 
everywhere,  ducks,  single,  in  pairs  and  small  bunches.  Eng- 
lish snipe,  plover,  sandsnipe,  bitterns  and  other  frequenters 
of  the  marshes  chinked  in  the  vacant  places. 


82  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The'  Prairie  Chicken,  or  Pinnated  Grrouse. 


The  prairie  chicken  or  pinnated  grouse  is  one  of  America's 
most  splendid  game  birds. 

There  are  still  some  prairie  chickens  to  be  found  in  Illi- 
nois, Iowa,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  and  some  of  the  other  Middle 
Western  States,  but  the  best  shooting  is  now  to  be  had  in 
Minnesota,  Montana,  the  Dakotas  and  the  Northwest. 

The  dividing  np  of  large  farms  into  smaller  ones  and  the 
converting  of  prairie  lands  into  corn  fields  has  had  much  to 
do  with  the  decrease  of  prairie  chickens  in  the  Middle  West- 
ern States  for  the  prairie  chicken  does  not  follow  civilization 
but  retreats  from  it. 

They  thrive  best  where  there  are  large  tracts  of  prairie 
wdth  corn  and  oat  fields  adjoining.  Although  an  upland  bird 
they  love  to  frequent  meadows  where  there  is  long,  coarse 
grass  for  cover,  very  often  bordering  ponds. 

The  prairie  chicken  can  endure  extremely  cold  weather  and 
does  not  migrate  at  the  approach  of  winter. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  season  the  hunting  is  done 
mostly  in  stubble-fields  morning  and  evening  over  dogs. 
Later  on  in  October  and  November  they  frequent  the  ripened 
corn-fields  and  are  not  very  easy  to  bag  in  the  standing  corn. 

I  have  always  found  them  very  regiilar  and  methodical  in 
their  habits,  visiting  certain  fields  daily  at  about  the  same 
hour. 

The  birds  are  much  stronger  on  the  wing  late  in  the  season 
than  they  are  earlier,  because  by  late  Fall  the  young  birds 
have  become  fully  grown,  and  fly  much  swifter  than  they  do 
in  September  and  early  October. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  83 


A  Shot  at  a  Prairie  Chicken. 


She  was  up  and  away, 

Like  a  rifle-smoke 
Blown  through  the  woods, 

That  lingers  a  moment, 
But  never  to  stay. 

— Bret  Harte. 


BY    ROSS    KINER. 


From  over  the  hill  where  the  sun  is  setting  there  comes 
some  specks  of  brown,  now  clear  cut  against  the  orange  of 
the  western  sky,  now  fading,  indistinct,  among  the  hillside 
shadows,  then  plunging  into  view  and  volplaning  they  settle 
within  ten  j^ards  of  me.  "Chickens!"  I  dare  not  move. 
Slowly,  warily,  an  old  cock  bird  approaches  down  the  ditch 
bank,  cocking  his  head  from  side  to  side,  he  stalks  closer, 
closer.  "Just  a  log,"  he  is  saying  to  himself,  "Just  a  log." 
"I  ain't  afraid."  Then,  the  strain  becoming  more  than  I 
can  bear,  I  turn  ray  head  the  very  teeniest  trifle,  a  brown 
shell  explodes  upon  the  ditch's  bank,  another  and  another. 
"Why  didn't  you  bust  a  pair!"  Scrub  asks  as  I  rejoin  him. 
"What!  Chickens  in  the  spring!"  "Sure,"  he  replies, 
"why  not!  Just  as  well  chickens  as  ducks.  What's  the  dif- 
ference!" On  that  I  ponder  all  the  long  moonlit  homeward 
way.  "Just  as  well  chickens  as  ducks  in  the  spring."  What 
is  the  difference? 


84  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Wild  Goose  Who  Lost  His  Bearing. 


A  river  winding  through  the  marsh. — Poems  of  Gun  and  Bod. 


Many  times  I  have  observed  that  when  a  wild  goose  or 
brant  becomes  separated  from  a  flock  and  sort  of  lives  to 
himself,  as  it  were,  he  loses  the  extreme  caution  which  these 
wary  birds  usually  possess.  I  have  killed  quite  a  number  of 
these  solitary  birds,  both  geese  and  brant,  during  my  career 
as  a  hunter,  and  always  in  some  unusual  manner. 

In  company  with  my  brother  I  have  hunted  wild  geese 
considerable  in  Illinois,  but  have  been  much  more  successful 
in  hunting  them  on  the  Platte  and  Missouri  Rivers  in  Ne- 
braska. There  they  fly  back  and  forth  from  the  fields  to  the 
sand  bars  on  the  rivers,  which  are  a  favorite  resort  of  wild 
geese.  We  shot  a  good  many  with  the  rifle  as  well  as  shot 
gun. 

One  of  our  successful  methods  was  to  locate  a  flock  some 
distance  below  us  on  the  river  and  then  float  down  in  our 
boat,  not  using  the  oars  at  all,  as  the  Missouri  has  a  strong 
current  in  most  places.  Very  often  we  were  enabled  to  get 
within  gun  shot  in  this  manner. 

But  this  goose  was  shot  on  the  Kankakee  and  under  such 
circumstances  that  I  thought  it  unusual. 

My  brother  and  myself  were  coming  up  the  Kankakee  one 
day  in  late  November  and  the  wind  was  blowing  a  perfect 
gale.  The  river  here  flows  north  and  the  wind  was  from  the 
west  and  had  a  clear  sweep  over  the  Illinois  prairies  to  the 
west  of  us  for  several  miles,  so  it  was  blowing  strongly  di- 
rectlv  across  the  river. 


DUCK    SHOOTIXG    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  85 

We  were  keeping  to  the  west  bank  of  the  river  to  be  shel- 
tered from  the  gale  as  much  as  possible.  The  river  bank 
here  is  nearly  perpendicular  and  from  30  to  50  feet  high 
and  treeless. 

We  had  seen  a  number  of  flocks  of  wild  geese  flying  over 
the  prairies  west  of  us  and  finally  we  saw"  a  flock  coming 
straight  towards  us,  but  high  in  the  air.  They  were  perhaps 
a  half  mile  away  when  we  first  saw  them.  However,  if  they 
did  not  change  their  course  they  would  pass  directly  over  us 
and  we  hurriedly  rowed  our  boat  to  shore  and  ran  up  to  the 
top  of  the  bank  before  they  could  see  us  and  awaited  their 
approach. 

They  came  over  our  heads  but  at  such  a  height  that  it 
seemed  almost  useless  to  shoot  at  them.  However,  w^e  poured 
four  shots  into  them  at  long  range  and  at  the  report  of  our 
guns  one  came  down  lifeless.  Another  bird  was  either  struck 
in  the  body  or  utterly  bewildered,  for  he  sailed  down  from 
the  balance  of  the  flock  and  alighted  in  the  middle  of  the  river 
half  a  mile  away  and  set  there  with  his  head  in  the  air  evi- 
dently trying  to  get  his  bearings.  The  rest  of  the  flock  had 
passed  out  of  sight  with  many  clamorings. 
•  Finally  the  solitary  goose  arose  and  started  up  the  middle 
of  the  river.  After  he  had  gone  a  little  distance  he  changed 
his  mind  and  thought  he  would  cross  over  to  the  prairies 
west  again.  But  as  he  tried  to  cross  over  the  river  bank  the 
wind  was  so  strong  that  he  drifted  out  over  the  river  again 
and  was  gradually  getting  a  little  nearer  us  all  the  time.  He 
had  apparently  forgotten  where  Ave  were  located,  although  he 
could  see  us  plainly  enough  when  he  was  sitting  in  the  center 
of  the  river.  He  w^as  determined  to  cross  over  to  the  west 
to  the  prairies,  however,  and  finally  came  over  our  heads  not 


86  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

30  yards  high.     Two  guns  sounded  as  one  report  and  he  fell 
stone  dead. 

Had  he  flown  to  any  other  point  of  the  compass  it  would 
have  been  safe  for  him  and  there  he  came  right  back  into  the 
danger  zone  and  death  for  him! 


In  November. 


1  git  so  gol-darned  restless 

About  this  time  of  year, 
I  just  can't  tend  to  business, 

And  Wife  says,  "Now,  my  dear. 

You'd  better  fill  your  shell  case, 

Grab  the  little  gun  an'  take 
A  few  days  off,  this  week  or  next, 
On  Stanley  Fuller's  lake." 

Now,  you  bet  I  don't  need  urgin' 
For  the  past  month  in  my  dreams, 

I've  seen  the  wild  rice  noddin' 
An'  the  water  where  it  gleams. 

An'  I  know  just  how  I'll  tingle. 
How  I'll  crouch  an'  call,  just  so 

When  the  first  pair  starts  to  circlin' 
O'er  the  rush-grown  lake  below. 

But  it  isn't  just  the  shootin' 
That  makes  up  a  happy  day. 

If  it  was,  you'd  soon  get  weary. 
Quit  your  job  an'  go  your  way. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  87 

Sometimes  its  just  the  blackbirds 

A'streamin'  past  me  overhead, 
With  their  little  throats  a  bu'stin' 

An'  their  jackets  trimmed  in  red. 

An'  then  its  just  the  peace  that  comes 

With  the  Indian  summer  haze, 
That  covers  like  a  fairy  cloak 

The  marshland's  tangled  maze. 

Again  its  just  the  solo 

That  the  fall  wind  sings  to  j^ou. 
As  it  stops  to  kiss  the  rushes. 

On  its  journey  'cross  the  slough. 

******* 
And  so,  when  called  to  t'other  shore, 

I  hope  they'll  let  me  take, 
A  few  days  off  each  fall  time. 

On  Stanley  Fuller's  lake! 

— Ross  Kiner  in  Sports  Afield. 


When  it  comes  to  calling  deep-water  ducks,  I  plead  not 
guilty.  A  canvasback's  call  is  similar  to  a  mallard's,  but 
coarser.  Many  canvasbacks  have  I  had  decoy  when  I  w^as 
calling  my  best,  but  I  always  felt  they  came  in  in  spite  of  the 
call,  not  because  of  it.  Never  have  I  seen  a  canvasback,  red- 
head, bluebill,  or  ringneck  decoy  when  I  could  say  with  a 
clear  conscience  that  they  came  in  in  answer  to  the  call.  Tt 
is  a  simple  matter  to  swim  any  of  these  ducks  in  in  spite 
of  any  noise  if  your  decoys  are  properly  set. — B.  P.  Holland 
in  Outing. 


88  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Old  Squaw,  or  Long-Tailed  Duck. 


The  old  squaw  or  long-tailed  duck  is  one  of  the  most  unique 
birds  of  the  duck  family.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  hardy  bird 
and  is  usually  found  in  large  flocks  on  the  sea  coast.  It  is 
only  taken  at  rare  intervals  in  the  interior  of  the  United 
States.  I  have  seen  a  couple  of  specimens  which  were  killed 
on  Lake  Michigan. 

The  old  squaw  is  so  named  from  its  noisy  habit  of  con- 
tinually talking  while  on  the  water  and  frequently  uttering 
musical  cries  while  on  the  wing. 

The  old  squaw  is  an  expert  diver  and  there  are  said  to  be 
instances  where  a  bird,  being  shot  at  while  flying  low  over 
the  water,  had  dived  from  the  wing  and  escaped  unhurt. 

The  old  squaw  nests  in  the  Arctic  regions  and  when  pre- 
paring to  migrate  north  in  the  Spring,  assemble  in  large 
flocks,  circling  about  high  in  the  air  and  performing  many 
graceful  evolutions. 

The  rapidity  and  irregularity  of  the  flight  of  this  bird  is 
remarkable,  A  flock  will  start  to  fly  over  the  water  in  some 
direction  and  will  dart  around  as  aimlessly  as  a  flock  of  pin- 
tails on  a  windy  day  in  the  Spring. 

The  old  squaw  associates  in  large  flocks  even  on  the  breed- 
ing grounds,  and  have  been  seen  in  Alaska  and  the  Hudson 
Bay  country  in  the  middle  of  the  Summer  in  flocks  of  many 
hundreds. 

Although  such  a  handsome  and  active  bird,  the  flesh  of  the 
old  squaw  cannot  be  eaten  on  account  of  the  strong  fishy 
flavor,  as  its  chief  food  is  shell-fish. 


FROM  COL.    F.    M.    WOODRUFF 

165 


OLDSQUAW  DUCK. 
(Clangula  hyemalis). 

5^  Life-size. 


COPYRIGHT    1900,   BY    A.    W.    MUMFORO-    CHICAGO 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  89 

Hunting  the  Old  Squaw  Duck  on  the  Eastern  Sea  Coast. 


One  of  the  prime  wild-foAvI  sights  of  such  bays  as  Chatham 
is  the  exit  of  the  old  squaw  ducks  at  sundown.  They  feed 
during  the  winter  days  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  To  see  or 
shoot  them,  one  should  anchor  in  a  skiff  at  the  middle  of 
some  narrow  channel.  At  length  there  will  come  a  confused 
chorus  of  weird  cries,  resembling  the  music  of  a  pack  of 
hounds  on  the  trail — and  music  indeed  it  is.  Presently  a 
line  of  fowl  will  appear,  sweeping  down  the  channel.  They 
do  not  always  seem  to  notice  the  boat,  and  I  have  often  had 
them  double  right  by  the  bow  when  I  sat  up  to  shoot.  I 
think  that  there  is  no  swifter  flier  among  birds  than  this 
garrulous  "squaw,"  and  if  one  is  to  hit  such  a  mark  very 
often,  he  must  be  an  adept.  Going  at  such  tremendous 
velocity,  wiien  one  is  brought  down,  I  have  been  amazed  at 
the  distance  that  its  momentum  Mali  carry  it,  ricochetting 
over  the  water,  before  it  can  stop. 

They  appear  to  rest  on  the  open  sea  at  night,  where  they 
are  quite  safe  from  molestation.  On  cold,  still  days  they  sit 
in  flocks  on  the  w^ater  and  their  chatter,  which  often  seems 
to  resolve  itself  into  major  thirds,  is  to  me  one  of  the  finest 
sounds  of  Arctic-like  nature  at  this  season. 

The  staple,  standard  fowl  for  the  hunter  is  the  dusky  or 
black  duck,  excellent  for  the  table,  and  one  of  the  wariest  of 
them  all. 

The  goldeneyes  also  feed  in  the  bays,  and,  hidden  in  a  sea- 
weed "blind,"  one  can  toll  them  up  with  wooden  decoys,  and 
have  good  sport. — From  "Among  the  Water-Fowl,''  by  Her- 
bert K.  Job. 


90  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Three  Empty  Shells— Three  Mallard  Ducks. 


Oh !    for  a  day  in  the  white  wind 's  cheek, 
To  share  the  mallard's  stroke  of  power. 

— A  Day  on  the  Yukon. 


It  was  in  the  early  part  of  December  and  the  Illinois  was 
frozen  over,  but  a  number  of  successive  warm  days  had 
melted  the  ice  enough  so  that  there  were  patches  of  open 
water  here  and  there  where  the  current  was  strongest  and  a 
few  ducks  still  lingered  after  the  general  migration  for  the 
South  of  the  main  body  of  wild-fowl. 

It  was  not  possible  to  ascend  or  descend  the  Illinois  River 
in  a  boat,  however,  as  there  was  only  occasional  expanses  of 
the  river  which  was  not  frozen. 

My  brother  Henry  and  I  loaded  our  boat  and  decoys  into 
a  light  wagon  and  with  a  good  pair  of  horses  drove  up  east 
of  Morris  about  five  miles  and  then  drove  south  until  we 
reached  the  river  bank  opposite  Goose  Island  in  the  Illinois. 
There  we  unloaded  the  boat  and  decoys  and  then  drove  the 
team  over  to  the  nearest  farmhouse  and  stabled  them. 

Returning  to  the  river,  we  were  able  to  cross  over  to  Goose 
Island  by  way  of  Stony  Point,  as  there  was  a  strip  of  open 
water  leading  over  to  the  island  at  the  lower  end  from  the 
mainland.  There  w^as  also  open  water  along  the  south  shore 
of  the  island  and  here  we  set  out  our  decoy  ducks  about 
opposite  the  middle  of  the  island. 

We  had  an  occasional  shot  at  a  stray  duck,  but  the  main 
body  of  ducks  seemed  to  have  left  for  a  warmer  climate. 
Sometimes  we  would   see  a  small  flock  of  ducks  over  the 


Canvasback  Diu-k  Shooting,  Long  Lake,  Illinois,  Edward  Uraliani 

and  Patrifk  (Jrirtin. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  91 

great  prairies  southeast  of  us,  where  some  cattle  were  being 
fed  corn  to  fatten  them  for  the  market. 

Finally,  late  in  the  afternoon  my  brother  was  prowling 
around  among  the  willow  trees  on  the  other  side  of  the  island 
and  had  left  me  watching  the  decoys  to  take  care  of  any 
stray  ducks  which  might  happen  along. 

He  had  left  his  gun  loaded  and  cocked,  lying  on  the  ground 
alongside  me,  while  my  own  was  lying  across  my  knees,  also 
loaded  and  cocked,  as  we  had  not  begun  to  use  hammerless 
g-uns  at  that  time. 

Under  the  influence  of  the  pleasant  rays  of  the  sun  and 
being  sheltered  from  the  slight  northerly  wind  that  w^as 
blowing,  I  dropped  into  a  light  sleep. 

All  at  once  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  the  rush  of  power- 
ful wings  and  looked  up  to  see  three  mallard  ducks  climbing 
up  and  away  from  our  decoys  as  fast  as  they  could,  going 
almost  straight  upward  in  the  manner  the^^  always  do  when 
frightened.  They  had  evidently  alighted  among  the  decoys 
without  disturbing  me,  but  soon  became  suspicious  and 
frightened  and  the  noise  of  their  whirring  wings  as  they 
arose  into  the  air  had  awakened  me. 

They  were  about  30  yards  away  in  the  air  when  I  first 
saw  them  and  were  putting  on  the  high  speed  without  losing 
any  time. 

I  at  once  grabbed  my  gun,  fired  at  the  one  nearest  me,  he 
dropped,  another  shot  and  the  next  one  dropped,  I  seized 
my  brother's  gun,  took  aim  and  at  the  report  of  the  gun  the 
third  and  last  one  dropped,  all  of  them  being  stone  dead. 
I  was  somewhat  doubtful  about  getting  the  last  one,  as  he 
was  a  good  distance  away  before  I  fired,  but  he  succumbed, 
falling  like  a  M^et  rag. 


92  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

On  the  Habits  of  Various  Varieties  of  Water-Fowl. 


Oh  for  a  day  in  the  white  wind's  cheek, 

To  share  the  mallard's  stroke  of  power; 
To  follow  the  rush  of  the  upper  air, 

And  flying  a  hundred  miles  an  hour. 

— A   Day  On  the  Yuhon. 


Wild  ducks  are  marvelously  swift  and  true  fliers.  The 
canvasback  has  been  called  the  swiftest  flier  of  the  duck 
family,  but  the  redhead,  bluebill,  green  and  blue-wing  teal 
are  nearly  as  swift.  While  the  mallard  is  comparatively  slow 
in  flight,  they  describe  many  beautiful  curves  and  gyrations 
in  alighting.  In  spring-time,  when  the  bottom  lands  are 
flooded,  they  will  come  down  through  openings  between  the 
great  oak  trees  in  a  nearly  perpendicular  line. 

The  habits  of  the  mallard  are  different  from  those  of  the 
redhead  or  canvasback,  those  of  the  blue-wing  or  green-Aving 
teal  are  different  from  those  of  the  wood  duck  and  those  of 
the  bluebill  are  different  from  the  pintail  or  goldeneye. 

Wild  ducks  may  be  divided  into  two  classes,  deep-water 
ducks  and  shoal-water  ducks.  The  first  named  dive  for  their 
food.  The  latter  do  not.  When  wounded,  shoal-water  ducks 
go  upon  land  at  once,  and  seek  to  hide  in  the  rushes  or  brush. 
Deep-water  ducks  never  go  upon  land  and  seek  to  escape  by 
swimming  and  diving.  The  deep-water  ducks  include  blue- 
bills,  redheads,  canvasbacks,  goldeneyes,  and  several  smaller 
varieties ;  the  shoal-water  ducks  are  mallards,  pintails,  blue 
and  green-wing  teal,  wood  ducks,  widgeons  or  baldpates,  gad- 
walls,  etc. 

Big  bags  of  ducks  are  a  thing  of  the  past  now,  which  is 
as  it  should  be.     The  amount  of  game  secured  should  ))(■  a 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  93 

secondary  consideration  to  all  true  sportsmen,  the  chief 
pleasure  should  be  that  of  enjoying  the  benefits  of  outdoor 
life. 

Nowadays  if  a  hunter  secures  a  few  ducks  he  should  be 
satisfied.  One  day  last  October  on  a  day's  hunt  I  bagged 
eight  blue-wing  teal  and  had  as  much  pleasure  as  if  it  were 
a  much  larger  number.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  out  in 
the  glorious  autumn  weather  and  a  grand  trip  on  the  old 
Illinois.     I  would  have  enjoyed  it  if  I  had  not  shot  any  ducks. 

All  deep-water  ducks  always  rise  against  the  wind.  By 
taking  advantage  of  this  fact  and  approaching  them  with  the 
wind  at  your  back,  if  the  flock  is  a  small  one,  very  often  you 
can  row  near  enough  to  get  a  good  shot,  as  they  hesitate 
about  coming  towards  you  until  it  is  too  late  and  you  are 
within  range  of  them  as  they  rise. 

During  considerable  hunting  on  the  Platte  and  Missouri 
Rivers  I  was  surprised  to  find  how  much  more  plentiful  the 
spoonbill  was  than  farther  east.  They  never  afford  a  great 
deal  of  sport  to  the  hunter  at  any  time,  however. 

On  some  days  when  the  ducks  are  not  moving  about  much, 
one  can  get  considerable  sport  by  rowing  along  a  river  that 
is  fringed  by  willow  trees  and  rushes  and  shooting  the  ducks 
as  they  fly  away  from  shore  at  your  approach.  They  are 
usually  on  the  wing  before  you  discover  them.  Also  at  times 
one  can  have  similar  sport  by  walking  along  the  edges  of 
ponds  where  there  are  rushes,  pond-lilies  and  other  aquatic 
plants  by  which  the  birds  are  concealed  until  you  are  within 
gun-shot  as  they  take  wing. 


94  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  American  Widgeon,  or  BaJd-Pate. 


I  have  shot  widgeons  successfully  over  decoys  with  no 
other  cover  than  a  few  dead  weeds  or  a  little  brush  in  front 
of  me,  picking  out  a  slight  depression  on  the  bank  of  a  large 
pond  or  inland  lake  and  also  on  a  river  in  the  same  manner. 

They  make  a  great  whistling  and  calling  when  they  come 
into  a  lake.  They  also  give  their  call  often  while  floating  on 
the  water,  especially  if  they  see  other  ducks  approaching. 

The  widgeon  is  fairly  abundant  in  all  the  Middle  and 
Western  States  both  in  the  Spring  and  Fall.  They  decoy 
very  readily  and  their  most  peculiar  whistle  can  be  heard  for 
some  distance.  I  have  seen  them  in  quite  large  numbers  in 
the  Spring  flying  up  the  river,  alighting  in  the  main  channel 
and  floating  down  with  the  current  and  then  repeating  the 
process.  In  this  way  they  feed  on  floating  buds  of  trees,  etc. 
Many  times  large  flocks  are  found  feeding  in  the  eddies  back 
of  some  point  on  the  river.  Long  says  he  has  seen  them  in 
flocks  of  thousands  late  in  the  fall  on  the  lakes  of  Tennessee 
and  the  bayous  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  widgeon  frequents  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  waters  of 
the  shallow  sounds  of  the  South,  and  it  is  a  tradition  that 
they  are  always  to  be  found  where  canvasbacks  are  feeding 
and  that  they  rob  the  canvasbacks  of  wild  celery  which  they 
are  unable  to  dive  for  and  bring  up  themselves.  I  cannot 
imagine  a  w^idgeon  fighting  very  much  with  a  canvasback  and 
have  never  seen  them  do  so  on  inland  waters. 

The  widgeon  is  one  of  the  most  palatable  birds  of  the 
duck  family  and  T  have  ahvays  found  them  most  excellent 
as  food. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  95 


Old  Times  on  the  Green  River  Marshes. 


'For  we've  listened  to  many  waters,  in  days  that  are  now  gone  by." 


BY    ROSS    KINER. 


I  caBHot  tell  just  when  I  was  inoculated  with  the  insidious 
virus  of  the  duck  shooter;  it  must  have  been  at  a  very  early 
date,  for  I  can  remember,  years  and  years  ago  it  seems,  of 
standing  in  the  street,  wooden  toy  gun  in  hand,  we  lived  at 
the  very  edge  of  the  village,  M^atching  the  pintails,  mallards 
and  the  brant,  as  they  swung  high  overhead,  paying  no  at- 
tention to  my  childish  calls  of  "Bang!"  "Bang!"  as  I 
loaded  and  fired  that  wooden  gun  in  rapid  pantomime. 
Swinging  and  drifting  with  the  wind  the  ducks  w^ould  come 
on  their  way  to  the  famous  Green  River  bottoms,  their  first 
stop  after  leaving  the  Illinois  River  marshes,  on  their  way 
to  their  breeding  grounds  in  the  northland. 

Then  down  tow^n  of  evenings  I  watched  wide  ej^ed  the 
hunters  coming  in,  backload  after  backload  of  ducks,  ducks, 
ducks,  and  if  it  was  of  a  Saturda}^  night,  and  some  of  the 
old-timers  from  up  river  came  to  town,  Kramer,  Huslander, 
or  the  Dutro  boys,  it  was  a  wagon  load  they  brought  of  pin- 
tail, mallard,  teal  and  widgeon,  brant,  and  sometimes  a  few 
Canadas,  or  an  occasional  swan.  Mallards  brought  50  cents 
the  pair  those  days,  pintails  and  the  smaller  ducks  20  to  30 
cents.  It  was  a  sight  to  watch  the  sorting  of  the  game,  for 
few"  of  those  old-timers  were  not  above  trying  to  slip  in  a 
"pick-up"  that  had  lain  perhaps  overlong  and  was  altogether 
too  ripe. 


96  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

"Pick-ups!"  Why,  I  can  remember  one  Fall  when  the 
river  had  gone  on  a  rampage,  all  the  cornlields  skirting  the 
river  were  under  water,  one  Monday  after  an  exceptionally 
bleak  and  windy  Sunday,  a  friend  of  mine,  taking  his  water 
spaniel,  and  by  simply  wading  the  overflowed  fields,  never 
firing  a  shot,  he  gathered  and  brought  into  town  thirty-seven 
dead  and  crippled  birds,  the  aftermath  of  the  evening  before. 


The  Hunting  Dog. 


The  quail's  far  call  from  out  the  pastures.— i^/ij/mes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


Bird  dogs,  with  rare  exceptions,  are  the  best-natured  dogs 
in  the  world.  They  are  affectionate  to  a  degree,  and  not  at 
all  quarrelsome.  At  the  same  time  there  are  some  good 
fighters  among  them.  To  me  a  handsome  pointer  or  setter  is 
the  finest  dog  in  the  world,  not  only  as  to  looks — and  they  are 
undeniably  in  the  front  rank  as  to  that — but  their  other 
qualities  are  not  less  attractive.  A  good  bird  dog  cannot  be 
thrown  off  of  a  "point"  until  the  birds  are  flushed.  You 
may  lose  a  dog  in  cornfields  or  high  cover  for  half  an  hour 
and  find  him  stanch  on  a  point  in  tall  weeds  or  grass.  Once 
a  stand,  always  a  stand  until  the  birds  rise.  One  of  the  best 
dogs  in  the  South  came  to  a  point  once  on  a  narrows-gauge 
railroad,  the  bevy  being  in  a  grass-grown  ditch  alongside  the 
track.  His  owner,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  saw"  a  train 
bearing  down  and  made  a  frantic  attempt  to  get  to  the  spot 
and  save  the  dog.  He  fired  his  gun  and  did  his  best,  but  the 
train  got  there  ahead  of  him.     Casablanca  made  inquiries 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  97 

when  he  got  in  a  tight  place,  but  that  dog  was  a  soldier  and 
"held  the  point"  nntil  the  train  ran  him  do^vn. 

It  is  strange  but  true  that,  notwithstanding  the  number  of 
men  who  have  painted  the  hunting  dog,  there  was  only  one 
artist  w^ho  caught  the  spirit  of  outdoors  and  the  action  of  the 
dogs.  That  man  was  Tracy.  His  paintings  of  Gladstone  and 
Peep-o'-Day  in  the  Tennessee  hills,  Croxteth  and  Sensation 
in  the  Neversink  valley.  Bow  in  the  Mississippi  bottoms  and 
others  are  classics,  not  to  be  imitated,  and  as  yet  unequaled. 
There  is  nothing  in  shooting  that  is  quite  so  thrilling  as  a 
dog  coming  to  a  point.  The  rigid  form,  the  wrinkled  nose, 
the  flashing  eye- — all  the  essence  of  passionate  intensity  is 
pictured  there.  A  few  yards  away  is  the  bevy.  The  winds 
move  the  leaves  of  a  near-by  tree,  and  toward  a  clump  of 
weeds  at  the  edge  of  the  corn  the  dog's  nose  is  pointed.  He 
is  like  a  stone.  They  sometimes  come  to  a  "buttonhook" 
point,  their  heads  curved  round  to  lift  or  right,  in  the  shape 
of  a  buttonhook.  They  will  point  with  a  dead  bird  in  the 
mouth  that  they  are  retrieving.  You  can  lift  a  dog  up  by  his 
tail  so  that  his  hind  legs  are  off  the  ground,  and  once  he  is 
dropped  he  will  still  hold  the  point. 

For  their  thousand  and  one  noble  and  splendid  qualities — 
for  their  "bird  sense,"  general  intelligence,  fidelity,  good 
temper,  affection,  beauty  and  love  of  hunting — the  setter 
and  the  pointer  are  to  me  the  finest  dogs  that  were  ever 
bred,  bar  none  at  all. — Ernest  McGaffey. 


What  music  to  the  duck-hunter's  ears  when  he  hears  the 
far-away  bang!  bang!  borne  to  him  down  the  wind  on  the 
marsh !     That  is  one  sound  he  never  forgets. 


98  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Quail. 


The  quail  is  one  of  the  most  popular  game  birds  in  the 
United  States  and  has  a  wide  distribution. 

"Bob  White"  is  a  true  game  bird  and  deserves  all  the  good 
things  that  are  said  of  him. 

While  the  prairie  chicken  retreats  before  the  advance  of 
civilization  and  the  settling  up  of  a  country,  the  quail  does 
not  and  will  thrive  sometimes  better  in  an  older  settled  dis- 
trict if  there  is  a  reasonable  amount  of  cover  and  the  winters 
are  not  too  severe. 

"Bob  White"  is  an  optimistic  bird  and  his  cheerful  whistle 
is  enjoyed  alike  by  the  farmer  and  the  sportsman  as  he  sits 
on  a  fence  post  or  at  the  edge  of  an  orchard. 

If  you  have  a  well-broken  dog  it  greatly  adds  to  your 
pleasure  in  quail  hunting. 

The  quail  feeds  in  the  morning,  and  generally  retires  dur- 
ing the  middle  of  the  forenoon  to  the  heaviest  cover  in  the 
neighborhood. 

It  is  surprising  how  a  quail  will  stick  to  a  little  bit  of  cover 
after  the  bevy  has  been  scattered.  When  flushed  in  the  tim- 
ber they  will  sometimes  take  to  the  trees,  hiding  among  the 
branches,  or  sticking  so  close  to  the  trunk  of  an  old  oak  tree 
that  they  resemble  a  knot. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  there  are  more  quail  at  the 
present  time  in  Illinois  and  Indiana  than  at  any  previous 
time  in  the  historv  of  these  States. 


BOB-WHITE. 
Yi  Life-size 


DUUK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  99 

Whirrin'  Wings. 


Th'  air  is  tinged  with  winter, 
Th'  tree  tops'  gittin'  bare, 

In  th'  woods,  th'  partridge 
Is  drummin'  everywhere. 

Th'  guns  will  soon  be  poppin', 
N'  th'  music  then  will  ring; 

Bob  white  will  soon  be  beatin' 
Th'  chilled  air  wdth  his  wing. 

Th'  simmons  are  a  ripenin' 
N'  th'  possum's  gittin  plump; 

Br'er  rabbit  flaunts  his  cotton 
As  away  he  nimbly  jumps. 

Th'  chestnut  burs  are  openin', 
N'  th'  hazelnuts  are  brown, 

Th'  hickorynuts  n'  walnuts 
Are  a  falling  on  th'  ground. 

All  nature  is  a  smilin' 

N'  over  me  it  flings 
Sort  of  a  steady  yearnin' 

Fer  th'  sound  of  w^hirrin'  wings. 

Th'  robins  have  retreated, 

But  th'  snow  king's  here  to  stay, 
He  prophes^'S  of  spring  again 

Which  cheers  us  on  our  way. 


100  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Oh!    I'm  happy  n'  I'm  busy, 
Tho'  this  weather  kinder  brings 

An  attitood  of  listenin' 
Fer  bob  white's  whirrin'  wings. 

This  Injin  summer's  glorious, 

Th'  haze  is  on  the  hill, 
Th'  wild  grapes  are  a-purple, 

N'  th'  little  brooks  are  still. 

All  these  are  signs  of  winter, 

But  fer  me  there's  nought  can  bring 

Sich  tinglin',  thrillin'  rapture. 

As  th'  sound  of  whirrin'  wings. 

— Flossie  Ray. 
♦>    •:•    •^ 

"When  the  shadows  droop  to  the  hills  and  the  light  fades 
from  the  waters;  when  the  singing  of  twilight  comes  in  faint- 
drawn  chords  of  softest  minors,  then  the  old  road  takes  on  a 
dusky  gray  that  fades  to  brow^l,  and  in  near-by  woods  the 
line  of  brown  deepens.  All  sounds  of  river-music  have  lapsed 
to  silence,  and  the  harvest-moon  bends  like  a  bow  in  western 
skies.  By  way-side  ponds  the  frogs  have  already  begun  to 
sound  their  castanets,  and  home-bound  birds  have  gone  past 
swiftly  and  silently  to  the  harboring  nests  which  awaited 
them.  The  hush  of  night  draws  near.  There  is  only  one 
touch  more  to  close  the  chapter;  one  sound  to  lull  the  sleepy 
birds  and  fill  the  woodland  spaces  Avith  drowsy  melody.  And 
presently,  as  the  first  note  of  a  whippoorwill  comes  from  the 
more  remote  thickets,  night  folds  down  a  leaf,  and  darkness 
settles  on  the  country  road." — From  ^^ Outdoors/"  by  Ernest 
McGaffey. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  101 


A  Stormy  Crossing  On  the  Illinois. 


Death  frowus  o'er  the  t'oamiug  flood. — Thomas  Graii. 


The  March  wind  had  been  blowing  a  gale  for  three  days 
from  the  nori Invest,  with  occasional  snow  and  a  low  ther- 
mometer. The  Illinois  River  was  several  feet  above  the  ordi- 
nary stage  of  water  but  was  not  out  of  its  banks,  which  made 
it  more  dangerons  to  navigate,  as  when  the  banks  are  over- 
flowed a  person  can  roAV  along  back  of  the  trees  which  line 
the  river-bank  and  be  out  of  the  main  channel  of  the  river 
and  of  course  the  waves  are  much  smaller  there. 

After  remaining  at  home  two  days  on  account  of  the  storm 
my  brother  Gussie  and  I  on  the  third  clay  could  not  stand 
the  pressure  of  seeing  flocks  of  mallards  flying  back  and  forth 
on  Mazon  Creek  across  from  and  above  Morris,  and  deter- 
mined to  get  over  there  with  a  boat  and  our  decoy  ducks.  It 
was  useless  to  try  and  go  any  distance  on  the  river  as  no 
headway  could  be  made  at  all  going  against  the  wind  and 
heavy  sea.  The  mountainous  waves  were  dashing  up  against 
the  south  bank  of  the  river  with  great  force  and  the  spray 
was  freezing  onto  the  trees  and  bank  where  it  struck. 

How  to  cross  the  river  without  capsizing  in  the  icy  water 
was  the  problem.  The  Mazon  empties  into  the  Illinois  just 
above  the  bridge  crossing  the  river  at  Morris.  We  decided 
it  was  too  dangerous  to  try  and  cross  the  river  at  that  point. 
Then  we  thought  we  would  carry  our  boat  across  the  bridge 
on  foot  and  tlien  try  and  ascend  the  river  the  short  distance 
to  the  mouth  of  the  creek.     But  after  walking  across  the 


102  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

bridge  and  noting  the  sea  that  was  running  on  the  south 
shore  we  gave  up  that  idea. 

Finally  we  thought  we  would  try  and  cross  the  river  at 
Antis'  Island,  which  was  a  small  island  just  above  Morris 
and  located  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  Loading  our 
decoys  into  the  boat  we  started  out.  After  crossing  safely 
over  to  the  island  from  the  north  shore,  we  set  out  on  the  last 
half  and  more  dangerous  part  of  the  journey.  Our  boat  rode 
the  waves  very  gallantly  and  the  spray  from  the  crest  of  the 
w?ives  froze  on  our  hunting  coats  where  it  struck  us.  When 
we  neared  the  shore  a  big  wave  carried  us  right  up  on  the 
bank.  We  sprang  out  and  drew  the  boat  up  out  of  reach  of 
any  succeeding  waves.  We  then  dragged  the  boat  across  the 
corn-field  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  and  reached  the  Mazon, 
'  where  we  set  out  our  decoj^s  and  by  5  p.  m,  we  had  shot  about 
twenty-five  mallards  and  a  half  dozen  teal. 

As  it  was  nearing  sundown  the  wind  began  to  die  down 
considerable  and  we  descended  the  Mazon  to  the  Illinois  and 
crossed  the  river  safely  and  reached  home  about  6  p.  m.  none 
the  worse  for  our  adventure,  and  thankful  for  our  victory 
over  the  elements  and  safe  return,  as  we  were  the  only  ones 
who  ventured  out  on  the  river  that  day. 

♦     ♦     ♦ 

Disagreeable  though  the  day  may  be,  the  sportsman  finds 
keen  delight  while  shooting  ducks  in  a  snow  storm.  The  day 
creates  an  uneasiness  in  the  birds,  and  they  fly  here  and 
there,  indeed  they  seem  to  be  everywhere  when  the  snow  is 
flurrying  before  the  fitful  winds.  There  is  an  uncertainty 
about  shooting  ducks  then,  for  the  falling  flakes,  the  leaden 
sky,  and  the  distracted  birds,  bother  one  as  to  where  to  aim. 
— William  Bruce  Lejjingivell. 


Live   Wild  Mallard  Deeoys  Calling-  in  Mallards,   IHinois  River  (Country. 
Photo  by  A'incent  Taylor,  Chicago. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  103 


The  New  England  Ruffed  Grouse. 


BY    C.    B.    WHITFORD. 


There  is  no  game  bird  that  flies  anywhere  on  this  continent 
to  be  compared  with  the  ruffed  grouse — particularly  the 
ruffed  grouse  of  late  fall  or  early  winter.  Of  course,  the 
ruffed  grouse  is  a  noble  bird,  no  matter  where  you  find  him. 
But  he  suits  the  New  England  country  well  and  that  country 
suits  him.  He  is  in  his  element  there,  and  the  sportsman 
who  brings  him  fairly  to  bag  must  be  something  more  than 
a  tyro. 

It  matters  not  whether  he  be  found  on  the  hillside,  in  the 
big  woods,  in  thick  swampland  or  in  the  alder  swales,  he  is 
always  the  same  wary  fellow — keen  of  sight  and  hearing, 
and  swift  of  wing.  To  get  him,  the  sportsman  must  be  alert, 
else  he  will  be  away  with  a  whirr!  before  the  gun  can  be 
brought  to  bear  on  him.  In  spite  of  his  great  cunning,  he 
will  lie  fairly  well  to  the  point  of  a  good  setter  or  pointer. 
But  the  bird  dog  which  can  fairl}'  be  regarded  as  a  ruffed 
grouse  dog  must  have  a  genius  for  his  work.  And  this 
genius  must  be  carefully  cultivated  and  developed. 

No  slashing  dog  of  field  trial  class  can  cope  with  tliis  bird. 
Such  a  dog  will  do  for  quail  in  an  open  country.  But  in  the 
thickets  and  other  places  frequented  by  the  ruffed  grouse  he 
would  start  an  alarm  long  before  he  touched  the  foot  scent 
of  this  royal  bird  of  New  England.  The  bevy  of  quail,  feed- 
ing in  the  open  or  sunning  themselves  in  the  sedge,  have 
little  fear  of  the  galloping  dog.  These  birds  will  crouch  in 
the  tall  grass  or  underbrush  and  trust  that  they  will  not  be 


104  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

discovered.  Not  so  with  the  lordly  ruffed  grouse.  He  takes 
alarm  quickly  and  runs  away — prepared  to  take  wing  when 
further  disturbed  by  an  approaeliing  dog.  And  he  usually 
starts  his  flights  just  out  of  reach  of  the  sportsman's  gun. 
And  so  it  often  happens  that  the  sportsman  who  goes  out 
for  ruffed  grouse  comes  home  with  an  empty  bag,  although 
he  may  may  have  seen  quite  a  goodly  number  of  the  birds  he 
sought,  on  the  wing. 

The  dog  which  can  point  ruffed  grouse  in  November  or 
December  must  have  a  temperament  that  fits  him  for  this 
particular  work.  It  is  the  steady,  strong-going  setter  or 
pointer,  which  hunts  far  ahead,  without  nosing  the  ground 
for  the  foot  scent,  that  is  likely  to  get  a  point  on  one  of  these 
birds.  The  high-headed  dog  is  desirable  for  hunting  all 
manner  of  game  birds,  but  for  the  ruffed  grouse  that  style 
of  hunting  is  a  necessity.  The  dog  which  looks  under  his 
feet  for  this  bird  will  not  find  him.  He  may  get  a  taste  of 
the  bird 's  trail,  but  before  he  comes  within  reach  of  the  body 
scent,  the  bird  will  be  whirring  away  at  terrific  speed. 

And  what  a  prize  the  sportsman  has,  to  be  sure,  when  he 
kills  one  of  these  wary  birds  over  a  point!  There  are  more 
thrills  in  such  a  point  and  such  a  kill  than  are  furnished 
by  a  dozen  quails  killed  over  points.  And  they  last,  too. 
The  sportsman  who  comes  home  after  a  hard  day's  work 
with  two  brace  of  ruffed  grouse  in  his  game  bag  has  not  such 
an  awful  lot  to  show  for  his  labor.  But  this  is  not  at  all  a 
measure  of  the  satisfaction  he  feels  over  his  day's  sport. 

During  the  early  fall  months  the  ruffed  grouse  likes  best 
the  big  woods  and  little  thickets  that  skirt  the  heavy  timber 
land.  He  will  even  leave  the  big  woods  and  go  to  the  little 
thickets  out  in  the  big  open  huckleberry  pastures,  but  later, 
more  particularly  in  December,  he  likes  the  alder  swales  that 


RUFFED  GROUSE. 
(Bonasa  utnbellus). 


COPYRIGHT   1900,    BV  A.   w,   MUMFORO     CHICAGO 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  105 

lead  away  from  a  swamp  adjoining  the  woodland.  Up  and 
down  these  sw^ales  he  travels — finding  food  to  his  taste. 
And  then  he  is  out  of  the  wind  in  these  deep  swales,  where 
there  is  usually  plenty  of  low,  thick  underbrush,  in  which  to 
hide.  And  then  occasionally  he  likes  to  come  out  to  the  edge 
of  the  alders  and  take  a  sun  bath.  When  disturbed,  he  runs 
up  the  swale  to  the  big  swamp,  or  else  takes  wing  and  flies 
there.  In  these  alder  swales  the  sport  of  hunting  these  wary 
birds  is  most  excellent,  provided  always  that  the  sportsman 
is  the  fortunate  owner  of  a  dog  which  can  play  his  part  at 
the  game. 

The  sportsman  may  walk  on  the  hillside  close  to  the  swale, 
so  that  he  will  be  on  a  level  with  the  tops  of  the  alders.  If 
his  dog  is  suited  to.  the  work,  he  will  hunt  up  the  swale,  not 
far  ahead  of  the  shooter.  If  there  are  birds  in  the  swale,  he 
will  soon  know  it  and  will  make  the  fact  manifest  to  the 
sportsman,  so  that  he  may  be  prepared  on  an  instant's  no- 
tice to  be  ready  to  shoot. 

In  this  kind  of  shooting  the  sportsman  has  ample  warn- 
ing, as  a  single  ruffed  grouse,  rising  to  the  alder  tops  from 
the  dog's  point,  makes  a  great  fluttering  as  he  comes  straight 
up.  As  soon  as  he  reaches  the  alder  tops,  he  straightens 
away.  It  is  just  as  he  is  making  ready  to  start  on  his  flight 
that  he  affords  a  fine  shot.  For  a  moment  he  is  poised  in 
the  air;  an  easy  shot.  A  moment  later  he  is  on  his  way  at 
such  a  rate  of  speed  that  the  sportsman  must  needs  make 
haste  to  get  him,  or  he  would  soon  be  out  of  gun  shot. 

In  favorable  w^eather  there  is  more  satisfaction  in  makins,- 
a  small  bag  of  ruffed  grouse  with  a  good  dog  than  there  is 
in  bagging  any  other  game  bird  in  the  land. — Perml'^sioyi  of 
Sports  Afipld. 


106  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Shooting  the  Bluebill  Over  Decoys. 


' '  Their  black  heads  skim  the  blue  tops  of  the  billows. ' ' 


Duck  shooting  over  decoys  has  always  been  a  favorite 
sport  with  hunters  of  wild-fowl,  and  of  all  the  ducks  that  fly 
none  decoy  more  readily  than  bluebills  or  butterballs,  as  they 
are  called  in  some  localities.  There  are  really  two  varieties, 
being  the  greater  and  lesser  scaup  ducks,  but  their  habits 
are  the  same  and  they  associate  with  each  other. 

Find  where  they  have  been  feeding,  drive  them  away  with- 
out shooting  at  them,  set  out  your  decoys  and  in  a  little  while 
they  will  begin  to  come  back  a  few  at  a  time. 

I  have  had  bluebills  come  into  the  decoys  w^hile  I  was  sit- 
ting in  plain  sight  in  my  boat  among  the  decoys  after  I  had 
just  been  retrieving  some  birds  I  had  shot.  I  have  also  had 
redheads  do  the  same  thing.  Needless  to  say,  no  other  ducks 
are  so  incautious. 

One  spring  day  when  the  ducks  were  flying  well  I  bagged 
forty-six  bluebills  at  Aux  Sable  Lake.  1  had  a  boat  in  the 
lake  and  shot  over  decoys  and  could  easily  have  made  a  larger 
bag  by  remaining  longer  at  the  lake. 

In  the  spring  of  1894  my  brother  Henry  and  I  killed  130 
ducks  in  two  days  at  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Plaines  River. 
The  bag  consisted  of  about  sixty  redheads,  eighteen  canvas- 
backs  and  the  rest  were  bluebills. 

From  my  hunting  diary  I  find  that  the  largest  number  of 
successive  successful  days'  shooting  that  I  ever  had  was  in 
the  spring  of  1888,  when  I  killed  400  ducks  in  ten  days. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  107 

Hunting  Bluebills  in  New  England  Waters. 


Far  in  the  west,  the  yellow  sun  went  down. — Bhymes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


Though  the  scaups  are  classed  scientifically  among  the 
''sea  ducks,"  they  seem  to  me  to  be  found  almost  as  much 
on  fresh  water  as  on  salt.  A  great  many  of  the  greater 
and  lesser  scaup  frequent  the  large  ponds,  and  take  good 
care  of  themseh^es,  not  minding  the  decoys  nor  allowing 
themselves  to  be  approached.  I  have  seen,  and  taken,  the 
ring-necked  scaup  occasionally. 

The  other  sea  ducks  that  come  into  the  ponds,  do  not  fare 
so  well.  I  refer  to  the  three  scoters  and  the  old  squaw,  or 
long-tailed  duck.  They  seem  bewildered,  and  will  not  usually 
leave,  though  it  cost  them  their  lives.  The  gunners  soon  see 
them,  and  paddle  toward  them  down  wind.  The  foolish 
ducks  wait  for  a  fusillade  in  the  water,  and  then  secure  an- 
other, rising  toward  the  boat.  At  length  all  are  killed  but 
stragglers,  which  are  followed  up  and  shot  separately. 

Last  Fall,  on  October  11,  I  happened  to  be  in  Berkshire 
County,  Massachusetts,  near  Lake  Buell,  and  began  to  hear 
accounts  of  wonderful  duck  shooting  in  the  lake  that  day. 
Almost  every  family  in  the  community  had  ducks  hanging 
up  in  the  shed — surf  and  white-winged  scoters.  There  had 
been  a  storm  the  day  before,  and  toward  night  an  immense 
flock  of  these  scoters,  probably  lost  and  wearied,  settled  down 
into  the  lake.  Many  were  killed  that  night  and  the  next  day. 
A  hundred  and  fifty-eight  was  the  number  of  "casualties" 
reported.  Wild  geese  are  also  addicted  to  similar  wander- 
ings and  disasters,  especially  in  sleet  storms,  during  their 
flight. — From  "Among  the  Water-Fowl,"  hy  Herbert  K.  J  oh. 


108  DUCK    SHOOTIiSTG   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

The  Old-Time  Market  Hunter. 


When  twilight  on  the  rushes  falls. — Poems  of  Gxm  and  Rod. 


The  markets  for  selling  wild  game  now  being  closed  pretty 
generally  throughout  many  of  the  States,  the  old-time  market 
shooter  has  now  become  a  guide  or  "pusher"  for  the 
wealthier  sportsman,  chiefly  from  the  large  cities.  Like 
Othello,  his  former  occupation  is  gone. 

At  all  points  where  there  have  been  good  duck  shooting 
in  this  country,  there  have  been  men  who  have  followed 
duck  hunting  for  a  livelihood.  Naturally,  as  they  were  on 
the  marshes  and  lakes  of  the  ducking  grounds  each  day  and 
were  constantly  studying  everything  pertaining  to  wild-fowl- 
ing, they  came  to  possess  greater  knowledge  than  the  ordi- 
nary hunter,  whether  from  the  cities  or  country,  who  only 
went  duck  hunting  occasionally.  Constant  practice  in  shoot- 
ing made  them  expert  marksmen  in  most  cases,  and  a  number 
of  America's  most  expert  trap  shots  have  been  developed 
from  market  hunters. 

There  has  sometimes  been  a  feeling  not  entirely  of  friend- 
liness between  the  market  hunter  towards  the  wealthy  man 
from  the  aiij  who  has  come  for  a  few  days'  or  a  week's 
shooting  in  the  favorite  resort  of  the  local  hunter.  I  have 
seen  several  illustrations  of  this.  One  man,  the  founder  of 
a  great  business  in  Chicago,  used  to  go  hunting  (he  owned 
and  brought  with  him  a  gun  which  cost  $750),  and  would 
hire  six  or  eight  men  to  go  out  and  do  the  shooting,  paying 
them  well,  then  return  to  Chicago  with  his  game  and  dis- 
tribute it  among  his  friends.  They  thought  he  was  a  mighty 
hunter,  no  doubt.     1  never  heard  of  him  killing  a  duck  him- 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  109 

self.  Of  course  there  are  many  fine  sportsmen  among  the 
hunters  from  the  great  cities,  however. 

One  Spring  I  had  been  on  a  hunting  trip  down  the  Illinois 
and  on  my  way  back  up  the  river  my  i^ardner  and  myself 
shot  for  a  couple  of  weeks  near  the  quaint  little  town  of 
Chillicothe,  Illinois. 

We  were  camped  about  two  miles  from  Chillicothe  and 
would  take  turns  going  down  to  the  town  evenings  for  pro- 
visions, mail,  etc. 

One  of  the  best  shots  on  the  river  was  John  L a  most 

quiet  and  unassuming  fellow  who  lived  near  Chillicothe. 
Most  of  the  time  he  shot  for  the  market,  but  sometimes 
Avould  go  out  as  a  guide  or  j^usher  for  some  of  the  visiting 
liunters  from  the  cities. 

Evenings  the  hunters  and  villagers  would  congregate  in 
one  of  the  few  stores  in  the  town,  a  grocery  and  general 
store,  and  tell  stories,  play  checkers,  etc. 

One  evening  I  stopped  in  the  store  for  a  short  time  before 
returning  to  our  camp  up  the  river.  While  I  was  in  there  a 
wealthy  man  from  one  of  the  large  cities  who  was  there  for 
a  few  days'  shooting,  came  into  the  store. 

One  of  the  villagers  asked  him  if  he  had  had  good  shooting 
that  day.  "Had  he  had  good  shooting?  Why  man!"  and 
then  followed  accounts  of  the  wonderful  shooting  he  did  that 
day,  how  he  had  brought  them  down  out  of  the  clouds,  etc. 

Then  a  man  who  had  been  sitting  behind  the  stove,  with 
his  hat  pulled  down  over  his  eyes,  arose  and  passed  out  and 
I  thought  I  heard  some  muttered  imprecations  as  the  door 
closed  behind  him. 

It  was  John  L and  he  had  seen  samples  of  the  city 

man's  "wonderful"  shooting  that  very  day. 


110  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Goldeneye. 


The  goldeneye  or  whistler,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  one 
of  the  most  cautious  of  all  our  wild  ducks,  and  their  sharp 
eyesight  will  detect  the  gunner  hidden  in  a  blind  watching 
a  stool  of  decoys  when  nearly  any  other  species  of  duck  will 
come  in  without  any  preliminaries.  It  is  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult to  stalk  them  from  the  bank  of  a  river  or  lake,  also,  as 
some  of  the  flock  are  continually  on  guard. 

The  goldeneye  is  extremely  tenacious  of  life  and  it  re- 
quires hard  hitting  to  secure  them. 

They  are  very  hardy  and  I  have  known  them  to  remain 
all  winter  season  after  season  on  the  lower  Kankakee  River, 
frequenting  several  stretches  of  water  that  never  freeze. 

The  whistling  sound  made  by  their  wings  in  flight  can  be 
heard  a  considerable  distance.  They  are  one  of  the  few 
ducks  which  nest  in  trees,  although  a  deep-water  duck. 

The  goldeneye  frequents  the  sea  coast  as  well  as  inland 
waters,  and  is  an  expert  diver. 

The  goldeneye  feeds  largely  on  shell-fish,  but  it  also  fre- 
quents the  wild  rice  fields  and  fresh-water  marshes  near  the 
coast.  There  is  little  danger  of  the  goldeneye  becoming 
extinct,  in  my  opinion.  They  are  too  well  fortified  by  Na- 
ture with  caution. 

The  goldeneye  ranges  throughout  almost  the  entire  United 
States,  breeding  throughout  the  northern  portions  of  the 
North  American  Continent  and  in  winter  migrating  to  the 
extreme  Southern  States,  and  sometimes  even  to  Cul)a. 


•■■,<a!!:^»- 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  Ill 

Ferdinand  Brown  in  Observations  and  Conclusions  on 

Duckology. 


Within  the  shadow  of  the  distant  shore,  a  solitary  loon  swam  lazily. — Ehymes  of 

Stream  and  Forest. 


It  is  interesting  to  the  Nature  student  to  study  the 
methods  of  flight  of  wild-fowl.  According  to  the  theory  of 
least  resistances  (which  the  political  economist  says  governs 
all  things),  the  ducks  in  migrating  would  take  that  country 
which  contained  the  least  number  of  sportsmen,  other  con- 
ditions being  equal.  Of  course,  the  elements  control  the 
birds'  flight  to  a  certain  extent.  The  general  direction  of 
the  flight,  however,  is  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast 
in  the  fall,  and  from  the  southeast  to  the  northwest  in  the 
spring.  AAHiy  they  take  this  particular  angle  on  their  long 
journeys  across  the  country  we  can  only  surmise.  Perhaps 
it  is  due  to  the  general  direction  of  the  wind  at  that  time 
of  the  year,  or  maybe  on  account  of  general  direction  of  the 
large  bodies  of  water  of  the  country.  Observe  the  condi- 
tion of  the  countrj^  that  the  duck  or  goose  flies  over  from 
the  time  it  leaves  Canada  until  it  arrives  at  its  Southern 
destination,  and  you  will  see  that  part  of  the  country  which 
is  best  supplied  with  moisture  and  crops.  AVhen  the  time 
comes  for  the  general  flight  to  the  South,  the  bird  seems  to 
be  master  of  the  situation  and  picks  out  that  route  which 
appeals  to  it  as  being  the  choicest. 

While  one  species  will  fly  from  its  Northern  breeding- 
ground  to  the  Southern  waters  in  one  continual  flight,  other 
species  will  make  the  trip  in  installments,  as  it  were,  stop- 
ping at  various  points  on  the  way  to  rest  and  feed.     It  is 


112  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

reasonable  to  assume  that  the  ducks  which  fly  highest  and 
make  the  longest  trip  without  a  stop  have  the  greatest  wing- 
capacity  in  proportion  to  their  size.  In  other  words,  they 
are  geared  higher.  While  a  teal  duck  may  fly  across  your 
blind  at  a  greater  speed  than  a  mallard,  it  does  not  follow 
that  the  teal  would  outdistance  the  mallard  in  a  flight  of 
1000  miles  without  stop.  Probably  the  contrary  would  be 
true.  Different  species  of  ducks  take  different  altitudes  in 
flying  long  distances,  and  if  we  were  able  to  pick  out  a  bird 
from  each  species,  representing  the  different  altitudes  of 
flight,  we  could  determine  to  a  nicety  which  was  the  highest 
and  which  the  lowest  geared  bird.  And  what  bird,  of  the 
duck  family,  would  we  find  at  the  highest  flight?  For  have 
you  not  been  hunting  late  in  the  fall,  near  the  close  of  the 
season,  and  watched  and  watched  the  ducks  flying  over  your 
blind,  high  up  in  the  air?  And  have  you  not  said  to  your- 
self that  these  ducks  were  ticketed  for  the  Gulf,  without  a 
stop-over  privilege?  Sure  you  have!  What  kind  of  ducks 
were  they?  Some  of  them  were  too  high  in  the  air  to  tell 
what  species  they  were. 

THE    AUTOMOBILE    AN    ENEMY    TO    OUR    WILD    GAME. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  what  a  deadly  enemy  the 
automobile  has  become  to  our  wild  life?  How  it  has  in- 
creased the  number  of  hunters  in  a  few  years  at  the  ratio  of 
from  10  to  100.  A  few  years  ago  10  hunters  would  go  out 
on  the  opening  day  and  bag  a  hundred  birds,  using  mostly 
the  double-barrel  shotgun.  Now,  on  the  opening  day,  100 
hunters  go  from  the  same  locality,  armed  with  the  automatic 
shotgun,  and  bag  a  thousand  birds.  The  automobile  has  made 
this  condition  possible.     If  methods  of  transportation  from 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  113 

the  town  to  the  sloughs  and  ponds  were  the  same  today  as 
they  were  before  the  advent  of  the  automobile,  the  ambitious 
hunter  would  have  to  go  around  to  all  his  sporting  friends 
and  beg  them  to  go  out  for  a  shoot,  in  order  to  get  up  a  party. 
Today  (especially  on  a  Saturday  night)  the  hunter  has  to 
beg  for  a  chance  to  go  in  the  auto ;  he  will  pay  as  high  as  $5 
for  a  seat  in  the  car  for  a  day  and  will  ride  100  miles  in  the 
auto  to  get  a  shot  at  a  duck  or  two.  The  ease  and  quickness 
of  transportation  of  the  automobile,  and  the  pleasure  derived 
from  its  use,  has,  as  it  were,  developed  thousands  of  new 
liunters,  who  under  conditions  of  ten  years  ago  would  be 
indulging  in  some  other  less  strenuous  sport. 

THE    TRUE    SPORTSMAN. 

Sometimes  have  you  not  felt  a  little  ashamed  when  you 
killed  ten  times  as  many  ducks  as  you  needed,  and  allowed 
most  of  them  to  spoil,  or  perhaps  gave  them  away  to  people 
who  did  not  appreciate  them?  Don't  you  loiow  that  the  best 
part  of  the  sport,  after  all,  is  to  get  out  with  Nature?  To 
get  out  to  your  favorite  slough  or  lake  and  study  these  beau- 
tiful birds;  to  watch  their  flight;  to  see  the  dance  of  the  but- 
terballs  and  to  watch  the  bobbing  of  the  heads  of  the  wild 
things  as  they  swim  merrily  to  and  fro?  Don't  you  enjoj^ 
the  beautiful  hills  and  valleys  around  this  favorite  duck 
pond?  Have  you  not  observed  those  beautiful  sunrises  and 
sunsets,  and  the  changeable  skies! 

The  one  who  recognizes  the  existing  conditions  of  the  wild 
things,  who  pleads  for  their  protection  and  for  the  hunter  to 
be  merciful  and  who  goes  hunting  to  study  Nature  and  not 
solely  to  kill —  Ah !  he  is  the  true  sportsman !  — Ferdinand 
Brown  in  Sports  Afield. 


114  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Wild-Fowl  in  a  Storm  On  the  Massachusetts  Sea  Coast. 


There  swept  o'er  lake  and  wood,  the  storm's  wild  roar. — Ehymes  of  Stream  and 

Forest. 


I  wish  I  could  adequately  describe  a  scene  which  I  wit- 
nessed on  the  old  Pilgrim  coast  at  Manomet  one  5th  of  No- 
vember. Flying  gray  clouds  covered  the  sky.  The  wind  was 
northeast,  and  increasing  every  hour.  A  few  boats  went  out 
early  but  soon  came  in,  as  the  sea  was  becoming  dangerous. 
Low  over  the  frothing  ocean  flew  lines  and  lines  of  wild- 
fowl, scudding  from  the  north  before  the  blasts.  They  were 
in  sight  all  the  time.  Before  one  flock  had  passed  southward, 
several  more  were  to  be  seen  coming,  at  times  six  or  eight 
flocks  in  sight  at  once. 

By  10  o'clock  the  rain  began  to  beat  spitefully  on  our 
faces  as  we  stood  on  the  bluff  with  awed  spirits  watching 
Nature  in  her  passion.  By  noon  the  wind  had  reached  hur- 
ricane force.  Flocks  of  fowl  were  fairly  hurled  in  over  the 
rocks,  many  of  them  to  be  shot  down  by  the  "station"  men 
and  others,  who  stood  ready.  I  made  no  effort  to  estimate 
the  number  of  that  day's  flight.  Thousands  upon  thousands 
of  ducks  were  there,  and  of  all  kinds.  The  surf  thundered 
in  upon  the  rocks,  and  clouds  of  spray  flew  up  over  the  top 
of  the  bluif . 

In  the  morning  Avhen  I  opened  the  door  and  stepped  out, 
a  blast  struck  me  that  made  me  gasp  for  breath  and  cling  to 
the  railing.  Blinded  with  the  stingiug  sleet,  I  could  not  see 
whether  fowl  were  flying  or  not.  A  neighboring  barn  had 
disappeared,  lying  in  fragments  on  the  rocks  around  the 
Point.  Everything  was  white  with  snow.  Winter  had  come 
upon  land,  ocean  and  wild-fowl. — From  ''Among  the  Water- 
Fowl/'  hy  Herbert  K.  Job. 


A   SOUTH  DAKOTA  GIRL  AND   HER   CHESAPEAKE. 


"Beaver's  Rex."      (27790,  F.  D.  S.  B.) 
Courtesy  of  J.  F.  Parks,  Battle  Mountain  Kcunels,  Hot  Springs,  S.  D. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  115 


One  of  America's  Most  Famous  Duck  Hunters. 


Although  there  have  been  and  are  many  crack  duck  shots  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  I  consider  the  late  Fred  Kimble, 
of  Peoria,  Illinois,  was  the  star  duck  hunter  of  the  country. 
He  did  much  hunting  on  the  Illinois  River  in  localities  where 
game  was  very  plenty.  In  company  with  Joseph  W.  Long  he 
made  several  trips  down  the  Illinois  in  the  fall,  thence  down 
the  Mississippi  to  the  sunk  lands  of  Arkansas  and  Missouri 
(caused  by  the  earthquake  of  1812),  hunting  on  the  way,  and 
spent  the  winter  near  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  and  shooting  during 
the  spring  flight  north  in  the  spring.  On  several  occasions 
Kimble  killed  over  100  ducks  alone  in  a  day.  His  shooting 
was  done  in  the  70 's,  '80 's  and  '90 's.  Of  course  game  was 
much  more  plentiful  then  than  now  and  there  was  no  bag- 
limit, 

Kimble  had  a  single-barrel  8-gauge  gun  in  which  he  shot  an 
ounce  and  a  half  of  shot,  and  John  Forsyth,  formerly  agent 
of  the  Adams  Express  Company  at  Peoria,  told  me  he  had 
seen  Kimble  make  100  shots  in  one  day,  shooting  over  decoys 
on  the  Illinois,  and  make  100  consecutive  kills.  He  killed 
over  100  ducks,  because  numberless  times  he  killed  several 
at  a  discharge. 

Joseph  W,  Long,  Kimble's  hunting  partner  on  several 
duck-hunting  expeditions,  said  any  duck  that  came  within 
gunshot  of  Fred  Kimble,  would  save  trouble  by  coming- 
down  at  once. 

I  have  seen  Kimble  do  considerable  trap  shooting,  but  no 
duck  shooting. 


116  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Wilson  Snipe,  or  Jack  Snipe. 


Many  hunters  think  that  the  sport  of  hunting  jack  snipe 
is  more  enjoyable  tlian  that  of  any  other  of  our  small  game. 
The  amateur  hunter  and  marksman  usually  finds  the  jack 
snipe  a  difficult  bird  to  hit,  with  his  irregular,  corkscrew-like 
flight. 

Like  deep-water  ducks,  they  always  rise  against  the  wind, 
and  fresh  ground  should  always  be  hunted  with  the  wind  at 
the  hunter's  back.  This  gives  him  many  quartering  shots 
at  different  angles.  As  jack  snipe  do  not  fly  in  flocks,  it  is 
mostly  shooting  at  single  birds,  and  a  small  number  of  birds 
will  often  furnish  the  hunter  considerable  sport. 

The  jack  snipe  is  somewhat  erratic  in  his  habits  and  you 
sometimes  find  him  in  most  unexpected  places,  under  the 
willows  along  a  river  or  perhaps  near  a  spring  at  the  borders 
of  a  wood. 

Unless  they  have  been  hunted  a  great  deal,  the  jack  snipe 
does  not  generally  make  a  long  flight  when  flushed,  and  can 
be  readily  followed  up. 

On  rainy  days  they  simply  will  not  lie  and  it  is  useless  to 
try  and  hunt  them  on  such  occasions.  They  will  rise  before 
you  get  within  gunshot,  ascending  up  into  the  air,  and  then 
begin  a  series  of  manoeuvers  that  would  do  credit  to  Lincoln 
Beachey,  rising  and  falling  alternately,  and  continue  this  for 
some  time,  making  a  most  peculiar  and  picturesque  whirring 
sound  with  their  wings,  which  once  heard,  is  never  forgotten. 
Some  authorities  say  that  this  is  the  courtship  of  the  male 
bird,  but  I  doubt  it. 


Oi   o 
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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  117 


Propag'ation  of  Wild-Fowl  By  the  United  States  Government. 


A  crystal  lake  among  the  tree-clad  hills. — Bhymes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


I  am  indebted  to  a  recent  number  of  Outing  for  the  fol- 
lowing facts  regarding  Mr.  Job's  trips  to  the  far  Northern 
breeding  grounds  of  wild-fowl: 

In  1912  the  United  States  Government  commissioned  Her- 
bert K.  Job  and  three  assistants  to  go  to  Northwest  Canada 
to  procure  specimens  of  various  species  of  wild  ducks  for 
propagation.  They  encamped  at  Lal^e  Manitoba,  Northwest 
Canada,  and  had  the  co-operation  of  the  Dominion  Govern- 
ment. They  gathered  and  hatched  out  eggs  of  ten  species  of 
wild  ducks,  raised  a  large  proportion  of  the  young,  bringing 
back  about  100  of  them  for  breeding  stock  in  experiments 
which  are  now  under  w^ay.  They  were  late  in  getting  located, 
and  unfortunately  the  canvasbaeks,  which  are  early  breeders, 
had  all  hatched.  This  species  was  the  most  interesting  and 
important  of  all,  and  have  never  been  knoAvn  to  breed  in 
captivity.  They  were  allowed  to  try  it  again  last  year,  espe- 
cially with  a  view  to  securing  young  canvasbaeks  and  of 
studying  other  species.  The  prime  requisite  was  to  find  a 
canvasback  breeding  country. 

In  191.3  they  decided  to  go  to  Lake  Winnipegosis,  in  the 
imsurveying  wilderness  of  Northern  Manitoba.  This  lake 
stretches  north  for  140  miles  from  a  point  where  a  railroad 
touches  it  at  its  extreme  southern  point.  During  the  long 
period  while  the  ice  is  softening  the  few  isolated  inhabitants 
have  no  communication  with  the  outside  world.  They  reached 
tliis  lake  on  the  29th  of  May.    Spring  had  only  recently  come. 


118  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

as  the  ice  had  only  disappeared  the  week  before.  They  had 
with  them  incubators,  brooders,  photographic  outfits,  duck- 
feed,  and  so  on.  There  are  storms  on  this  lake  of  consider- 
able intensity,  even  in  summer.  The  marshes  extend  for  a 
mile  on  each  side  of  the  border  of  the  lake,  making  a  splendid 
nesting  place  and  home  for  wild-fowl. 

On  exploring  the  surrounding  country  they  found  large 
numbers  of  canvasbacks,  redheads,  ruddies,  goldeneyes,  teal, 
and  various  other  water-birds,  particularly  the  black  tern, 
which  was  everywhere,  and  proved  to  be  the  most  abundant 
bird  of  the  region.  Ruffed  grouse  were  also  drumming  in- 
cessantly in  all  directions.  Already  it  was  nearly  hatching 
time  for  the  canvasbacks,  and  they  hastened  to  hunt  for  nests. 
The  nesting  location  chosen  by  the  canvasbacks  was  peculiar. 
Instead  of  being,  as  is  more  usual,  placed  in  clumps  of  reeds 
or  rushes  or  areas  of  these  out  in  the  lake  or  slough,  in  every 
case  the  nests  were  found  built  back  from  small,  shallow 
pools  in  the  marsh,  from  one  to  five  yards  from  the  edge,  in 
continuous  areas  of  a  peculiar  sedge.  The  nest  was  a  mound 
of  dead  stems  of  the  sedge,  built  up  almost  towerlike,  in  some 
cases  over  a  foot  above  the  water.  The  sedge  all  around  in 
a  circle  was  pulled  up  or  trampled  down,  leaving  the  nest  in 
a  little  open  pond  several  feet  wide,  without  anything  to 
conceal  it,  and  was  visible  for  some  distance..  On  taking  the 
eggs  they  were  at  once  wrapped  in  flannel  and  placed  in  pails, 
thence  to  be  transferred  to  the  incubators  on  their  return  to 
their  camp. 

Young  ducks  need  green  food,  and  it  was  hard  to  provide 
this  in  sufficient  quantity,  till  one  day  in  a  trip  across  the 
lake,  they  discovered  a  large  concourse  of  ducks  in  an  area 
of  water-plants  growing  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 


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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  119 

This  proved  to  be  wild  celery,  on  which  the  ducks  were  feed- 
ing. They  brought  back  a  boatload  of  it,  and  the  young- 
ducks,  although  they  never  seen  any,  ate  it  with  the  greatest 
eagerness.    Thereafter  they  had  a  continual  supply  of  it. 

Mr.  Job  noticed,  too,  that  the  canvasback,  in  common  with 
other  allied  species  of  deep-water  ducks,  are  slower  in  feather- 
ing than  the  shoal-water  ducks.  The  pintail,  for  instance, 
shows  feathers  on  the  sides  at  three  weeks,  and  is  able  to  fly 
at  ten  to  eleven  weeks.  The  canvasback  shows  no  trace  of 
feather  under  four  weeks,  and  even  at  twelve  weeks  the  flight 
feathers  are  still  immature. 

When  Mr.  Job  and  his  assistants  returned,  after  spending 
three  months  at  the  lake,  they  had  a  thriving  family  of  full 
200,  comprising  the  following  eleven  species:  Canvasback, 
redhead,  lesser  scaup  or  bluebill,  American  goldeneye  or 
whistler,  pintail,  mallard,  gadwall  or  gray  duck,  blue-winged 
and  green-winged  teal,  and  American  coot  or  mudhen.  All 
did  well  except  the  goldeneye,  which  did  not  seem  to  thrive 
in  captivity.  This  seems  strange,  as  they  are  the  hardiest  of 
wild  ducks.  They  can  subsist  anywhere  there  is  open  water. 
They  found  the  canvasbacks  the  shiest  and  easily  frightened. 

The  birds  have  been  installed  in  a  game  preserve  in  Con- 
necticut and  the  United  States  will  endeavor  to  propagate  the 
different  varieties  obtained. 

Mr,  Job  says  that  the  ducks  are  good  ducks,  docile  and 
obedient,  willing  to  be  experimented  upon.  And  he  says  lie 
cannot  help  feeling  a  fatherly  interest  in  them. 


120  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

Tribute  to  the  Dog's  Faithfulness. 


For  a  true  friend,  give  me  the  brown-eyed  canine,  be  he  mongrel  or  thoroughbred. 

—B.  V.  Kelly. 


There  are  many  fine  dogs  in  fiction — every  one  knows  them 
or  should  know  them — and  we  believe  in  them  because  every 
now  and  then  we  run  across  a  dog  equally  fine  in  real  life. 

It  is  not  every  man  who  is  fine  enough  to  appreciate  a  fine 
dog.  But  every  once  in  a  while  the  right  kind  of  a  man  and 
the  right  kind  of  a  dog  are  lucky  enough  to  be  thrown  to- 
gether.    x\nd  then  results  a  companionship  rich  and  rare. 

The  Rev.  W.  H.  Thomas  of  South  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  his 
fox  terrier  Jim  were  the  right  kind  of  a  man  and  the  right 
kind  of  a  dog.  The  man  is  now  retired  because  of  age  and 
the  dog  is  dead.  And  the  man  pays  a  tribute  to  his  dog  that 
will  touch  the  heart  of  everybody  who  has  been  fortunate 
to  love  and  be  loved  in  the  same  w^ay.  Writes  Jim's  beloved 
master : 

"He  was  only  a  dog.  That  was  the  pity  of  it.  He  was  so 
much  larger  than  his  place  in  life.  But  he  seemed  contented 
'in  the  station  in  life  wherein  it  pleased  God  to  place  him.' 
He  was  so  handsome,  had  so  much  gray  matter  in  his  brain, 
with  a  heart  as  big  as  an  ox,  that  he  was  fitted  for  a  larger 
place  than  that  of  a  fox  terrier." 

Mr.  Thomas  goes  on  to  relate  instances  of  Jim's  intelli- 
gence, goodness  and  loyalty  which  show  the  animal  to  have 
been  well  worthy  of  the  respect,  admiration  and  affection  of 
his  master  and  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.     Then  he  says: 

''When  Jim's  patient,  quiet  endurance  of  sickness  and  pain 
found  an  end  in  death  and  his  dear,  grateful  eyes  closed,  the 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  121 

earth  had  lost  something  lovable,  true,  loyal  and  worthy. 
Involuntarily  we  said, '  God  bless  him ! '  If  that  is  wrong,  one 
is  willing  to  be  forgiven,  but  not  sorry  to  think  it  might  not 
be  wrong  at  all.  Would  that  each  soul  of  man  or  woman 
whose  departure  from  this  life  I  have  ministered  to  had  been 
as  true  and  worthy  in  their  place  as  Jim  was  in  his.  Not 
many  have  left  so  warm  a  love  in  so  many  hearts  or  so  many 
eyes  of  old  and  young  that  were  wet  with  tears  as  Jim." 

With  exquisite  tenderness  the  master  tells  how  and  where 
he  buried  his  dead  friend  and  then  finishes  his  tribute  in 
these  touching  words  that  voice  an  old,  old  question: 

"Today  the  'moaning  of  the  bar'  is  not  far  away  where  I 

must  put  out  to  cross  the  uncharted  sea.    If  on  that  far  shore 

looking  out  over  that  sea  for  the  coming  of  that  master  Jim 

could  be  just  as  he  used  to  here — if  there  w^e  found  a  home 

as  delightfully  nested  in  beauty  as  we  have  had  here — w^e 

could  find  contentment,  we  could,  Jim  and  me. ' ' 

♦     ♦    ♦ 

There  is  nothing  more  deceptive  than  the  speed  or  pace  at 
which  a  bird  is  flying.  The  smaller  the  bird  the  greater  its 
speed  appears  to  be.  Of  wild  ducks,  the  mallard  is  probably 
the  slowest,  and  his  speed  is  estimated  at  from  40  to  50  miles 
an  hour.  I  would  place  the  wood  duck  and  pintail  at  about 
50  to  60  miles  an  hour;  the  Avidgeon  and  the  gadwall  about 
the  same,  from  60  to  70  miles  an  hour;  and  I  do  not  think 
there  is  much  difference  between  the  speed  of  the  redhead, 
blue  and  green-wing  teal,  bluebill,  goldeneye  and  canvas- 
back,  and  I  would  place  their  speed  at  from  80  to  100  miles 
an  hour,  depending  on  whether  the  wind  was  in  their  favor 
or  not.  Herbert  K.  Job  says  there  is  no  swifter  flier  among 
birds  than  the  old  squaw  duck. 


122  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


The  Redhead. 


The  redhead  is  one  of  our  best  wild-fowl  and  is  found  to 
some  extent,  at  least,  on  most  of  the  ducking  waters  of  the 
United  States.  Being  a  diving  duck,  it  prefers  the  open 
waters  to  the  smaller  ponds  and  sloughs. 

Some  hunters  think  the  redhead  is  becoming  more  scarce. 
However  that  may  be,  Mr.  Herbert  K.  Job  states  that  he 
found  a  larger  number  of  eggs  in  the  nest  of  the  redhead 
than  in  that  of  any  other  of  our  wild  ducks  in  the  far  North. 

Redheads  have  a  habit  of  flying  up  and  down  the  bodies 
of  water  which  they  frequent  in  large  flocks  mornings  and 
evenings,  generall}'  well  up  in  the  air,  and  I  have  at  times 
seen  flocks  of  redheads  that  would  extend  across  the  entire 
main  channel  of  the  Illinois.  I  have  also  seen  them  in  large 
numbers  on  the  Missouri  River. 

Redheads  fly  closely  together  and  generally  in  perfect 
alignment.  When  the  hunter  gets  a  cross-firing  shot  some- 
times several  are  killed  at  a  discharge. 

In  its  habits  the  redhead  greatly  resembles  the  bluebill,  and 
they  associate  together  considerable.  It  decoys  quite  as  well 
as  the  bluebill,  especially  on  their  feeding  grounds.  The 
flesh  of  the  redhead  is  excellent. 

The  redhead  has  the  habit  of  flying  by  just  outside  of  your 
decoys,  apparently  not  seeing  them,  and  then  after  they  have 
got  just  beyond  you,  suddenly  turning  back  and  coming  into 
the  decoys.  They  are  not  nearly  so  suspicious  as  canvas- 
backs. 

This  bird  frequents  salt  water  as  well  as  fresh  water  and 
is  greatly  esteemed  by  Eastern  and  Southern  gunners  on  tlie 
sea  coasts. 


(T  — ' 

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d 


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DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  123 

Favorite  Foods  of  the  Wild  Duck, 


It  should  be  the  aim  of  all  sportsmen  to  co-operate  in  any- 
thing which  will  tend  to  increase  or  benefit  our  wild-fowl  in 
any  w^ay.  There  is  some  kind  of  attractive  duck  food  suited 
to  practically  every  type  of  marshes  and  waters  and  soil. 
Careful  study  has  proven  that  the  following  are  among  the 
very  best  and  most  attractive  food  for  wild  water-fowl: 
Duck  potato  or  wapato,  wild  rice,  wild  celery,  peppergrass 
or  w^ater  cress,  a  number  of  varieties  of  potamogeton,  blue 
duck  millet,  chinquapins,  and  chufas. 

Not  all  of  these  foods  are  eaten  by  all  kinds  of  ducks.  For 
instance,  wild  rice  is  a  food  of  the  marsh  ducks,  such  as  the 
mallards,  teal,  and  pintails,  while  wild  celery  is  a  food  of  the 
diving  or  deep-water  ducks  like  the  canvasback,  redheads, 
and  bluebills.  A  wide  variety  of  foods  are  recommended  for 
attracting  various  kinds  of  water-fowl,  and  providing  food 
at  different  times  of  the  year. 

There  are  a  few  plants,  chief  among  them  being  the  duck 
potato  or  wapato,  which  are  eagerly  sought  for  b}^  practically 
all  ducks  of  both  marsh  and  diving  species,  as  well  as  by 
many  varieties  of  other  water-fowl. 

DUCK    POTATO    OF    WAPATO. 

( Sag itta r ia  lati folia . ) 

The  duck  ])otato  or  wapato  plant  is  considered  one  of  the 
most  valuable  duck  foods.  It  produces  tender  bulbs  and 
shoots  that  wild  ducks  are  very  fond  of.  Handsome  arrow- 
head shaped  leaves  and  its  stalks  of  delicate  white  flowers 
make  it  a  higlily  desirable  ornamental  plant.     The  plant  pro- 


124  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

duces  bulbs  about  the  size  of  a  small  onion,  and  starts  new 
plants  in  three  ways,  from  bulbs,  runners,  and  seeds. 

WILD    CELERY. 

{Vallisneria  spiralis.) 

As  a  food  for  canvasbacks,  redheads,  widgeons,  bluebills, 
and  numerous  other  varieties  of  water-fowl,  wild  celery  is 
unequalled. 

Wild  celery  does  not  resemble  garden  celery,  but  is  really 
an  eel-grass,  growing  entirely  beneath  the  water.  The  plant 
is  adapted  to  soft  mud  or  loam  bottoms,  and  fresh  or  slightly 
brackish  water  from  l^/o  to  8  feet  in  depth.  The  ribbon-like 
leaves  of  the  wild  celeiy  plant  at  the  bottom  appear  like  long 
wide-bladed  grass.  From  each  plant  spiral  stems  as  large 
as  a  common  string  and  several  feet  long,  run  toward  the 
surface.  During  the  late  summer  or  earlj^  autumn,  mucil- 
aginous seed-bearing  pods  form  on  the  tips  of  these  stems, 
averaging  from  one-eighth  to  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in  di- 
ameter and  from  three  to  five  inches  in  length.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  wild  celery  is  a  perennial  plant,  that  is,  it 
lives  from  year  to  year,  and  it  is  not  usually  until  the  second 
or  third  year  after  planting  that  it  produces  the  seed-bearing 
pods  by  which  it  is  commonly  identified.  The  plants  send 
out  runners  like  those  of  a  strawberry  plant,  in  all  directions. 
An  abundance  of  new  plants  are  started  from  these  runners, 
as  well  as  from  seed  and  winter  buds,  so  that  after  the  plants 
are  once  rooted  there  is  little  danger  of  their  ever  dying  out. 

PEPPERGRASS    OR    WATER    CRESS. 

[Nasturtium  offincinale. ) 

This  plant  was  originally  a  native  of  the  British  Isles  and 
gamekeepers  there  recommend  it  highly  for  planting  in  duck 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  125 

preserves.  It  has  been  successfully  introduced  in  a  number 
of  preserves  in  this  country  and  many  kinds  of  water-fowl, 
especially  black  duck,  are  known  to  be  very  fond  of  it. 

AMERICAN    LOTUS    OR    WATER    CHINQUAPIN. 

{Nelumho  lutea.) 

This  is  an  exceptionally  attractive  mallard  food.  The 
plant  is  of  the  nature  of  a  water  lily,  bearing  large,  hand- 
some, pale  yellow  flowers  from  5  to  9  inches  broad,  which 
makes  it  an  attractive  ornamental  water  plant.  The  seeds 
that  the  ducks  are  fond  of  are  borne  in  pits  in  the  flat  upper 
surface  of  the  top-like  receptacle  remaining  after  the  petals 
have  fallen  from  the  flower.  The  plant  grows  best  on  a  mud 
or  loam  bottom,  and  can  be  propagated  in  suitable  places 
anywhere  in  the  United  States  and  Southern  Canada. 

WILD    RICE. 

[Zizama  aquatica.) 

This  is  another  food  which  has  proved  its  value  as  a  duck- 
coaxer.  All  marsh  ducks,  especially  the  mallard,  wood  duck, 
teal,  black  duck,  widgeon,  and  pintail,  as  w^ell  as  wild  geese 
and  other  water-fowl,  are  very  fond  of  it.  Its  graceful 
panicles  of  bloom  give  the  wild  rice  a  decidedly  ornamental 
appearance.  Besides  providing  a  favorite  food  in  the  form 
of  grain  and  shoots,  the  dense  stalk-like  growth  provides 
cover  for  the  birds. 

Wild  rice  has  been  known  to  grow  in  water  up  to  a  depth 
of  5  feet,  but  it  appears  to  grow  best  in  from  6  inches  to  31/2 
feet  of  fresh  or  slightly  salty  water,  and  on  soft  muddy  bot- 
toms. Wliether  or  not  waters  are  too  salty  for  wild  rice  can 
be  determined  by  tasting  the  water.  If  the  water  is  salty  to 
taste,  it  is  too  salty.     Wild  rice  seed  is  generally  sown  in  the 


126  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

fall,  the  time  that  the  plant  naturally  goes  to  seed.  If  it  has 
been  properly  stored,  it  may  be  planted  in  the  spring  with 
good  results.  The  seed  must  be  kept  wet  and  never  allowed 
to  dry,  however,  for  it  is  certain  that  dried  wild  rice  seed 
will  never  grow. 

NUT    GRASS    OR    CHUFA. 

[Cuperus  esculentus.) 

While  this  food  is  not  at  present,  perhaps,  so  widely  known 
as  some  of  the  other  duck  foods  which  have  been  mentioned, 
it  has  been  found  that  wood  duck,  mottled  duck,  mallards 
and  canvasbacks  are  very  fond  of  its  numerous  tubers,  and 
that  it  is  the  principal  element  which  renders  a  number  of 
famous  hunting  grounds  so  attractive  to  wild  clucks. 

The  nutgrass  or  chufa  is  adapted  to  light,  rich,  sandy, 
humus  or  loam  soils  around  lakes,  streams  and  other  waters 
which  are  dry  in  summer,  but  overflowed  in  fall,  winter,  or 
early  spring,  to  make  them  available  for  duck  food. 

The  plant  is  a  heavy  bearer,  a  single  plant  producing 
usually  about  100,  but  in  some  cases  as  many  as  600  of  the 
little  nut-like  tubers  that  the  wild  ducks  are  so  fond  of. 

BLUE    DUCK    MILLET. 

{EcJmiochloa  crus-galli.) 

In  many  places  this  plant  is  given  a  rank  as  a  duck  food 
equal  to  the  famous  wild  rice.  Mallards,  pintails,  teal  and 
other  shoal-water  ducks  are  fond  of  the  seeds,  stems,  and 
leaves  of  this  plant,  and  in  some  cases  it  has  been  found  to 
make  up  more  than  half  of  the  diet  of  certain  of  these  ducks. 

The  plant  is  of  a  grass-like  nature  with  purplish  colored 
seed-heads,  growing  anywhere  from  1  to  4  feet  in  height. 
Blue  duck  millet  is  adapted  to  moist,  rich  soils,  such  as  along 


t 


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DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  127 

the  edges  of  lakes,  marshes,  swamps  and  in  wet  lowlands  of 
meadows. 

POTAMOGETONS. 

These  are  a  group  of  pond  plants  that  compose  a  large 
percentage  of  the  food  of  all  wild  ducks.  There  are  at  least 
thirty-eight  species  of  this  group,  but  I  only  select  the  species 
that  are  important  as  wild  duck  food. 

These  plants  produce  numerous  tubers  and  seeds  that  are 
readily  sought  for  by  many  ducks.  Teal  are  very  fond  of 
potamogetons,  and  large  flocks  of  them  are  often  found  feed- 
ing in  beds  of  these  plants. 


Notes 


There  are  a  number  of  varieties  of  ducks  illustrated  in 
this  book  of  which  I  have  not  attempted  to  give  an  account. 
The  collection  will  be  found  nearly  complete  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  spoonbill,  of  which  I  was  not  able  to  get  a 
picture.  I  have  not  attempted  to  give  illustrations  of  the 
sea  ducks,  or  of  the  various  varieties  of  scoters  wliich  fre- 
([uent  inland  waters.  I  have  included,  however,  the  white- 
winged  scoter  and  the  old  squaw  as  being  two  picturesque 
birds.  Of  course  many  of  our  wild  ducks  frequent  both  salt 
and  fresh  water. 

The  cinnamon  teal  is  not  found  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, or  at  least  only  rarely,  and  therefore  is  not  of  much 

interest  to  hunters  away  from  the  Pacific  Coast. 

♦I-     ♦    ♦ 

I  hope  the  readers  of  this  book  will  enjoy  reading  the 
articles  by  Miss  Flossie  Ray.  This  young  woman,  who  lives 
in  the  mountains  of  Eastern  Kentucky,  is  not  only  a  huntress, 
but  is  a  trapper  also.  As  can  be  seen  from  her  writings, 
she  is  a  true  Nature  lover. 


128  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 


Some  American  Omitholo^sts. 


The  pioneer  of  American  ornithologists  was  Alexander 
Wilson,  a  poor  Scotch  weaver,  who  came  to  America  in  1794, 
and,  animated  by  a  passionate  love  of  Nature,  studied  the 
birds  of  America  in  their  native  haunts,  producing  a  work 
remarkable  for  its  graphic  descriptions  of  their  habits  and 
the  beautiful  colored  plates  prepared  from  drawings  made 
by  his  own  hand  with  which  it  is  adorned. 

Then  came  Audubon,  who,  with  the  advantage  of  having 
the  observations  of  Wilson  before  him,  pushed  his  researches 
still  further  and  produced  the  magnificent  work  in  seven 
volumes  which,  with  its  exquisitely  colored  plates,  will  ever 
remain  a  glorious  monument  to  his  genius.  Audubon  was 
followed  by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  Ridgway  and  others. 

Of  present-day  ornithologists  I  consider  Herbert  K.  Job  to 
have  a  greater  knowledge  of  wild-fowl  than  any  man  in 
America. 

Mr.  Job  has  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  studying  the  habits 
of  our  water-fowl,  has  made  several  trips  to  their  various 
nesting  places  in  the  North,  and  is  a  most  interesting  and 
instructive  writer  and  a  true  lover  of  Nature. 

Mr.  Job  has  lately  written  an  interesting  bulletin  on  the 
propagation  of  wild-fowl  for  the  National  Association  of 
Audubon  Societies.  Mr.  Job  favors  hunting  with  a  camera 
instead  of  a  gun. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  129 

When  I  Could  Have  Won  First  Prize  (and  Did  Not). 


We  hear  much  of  "inside  baseball."  This  is  an  account  of 
some  "inside  shooting."  It  shows  how  one  may  sometimes 
deceive  himself. 

In  this  case  I  plead  youth  and  inexperience.  Gentlemen  of 
the  jury,  what  is  your  verdict?     Am  I  guilty? 

During  the  late  '80 's  and  early  '90 's  I  did  considerable 
trap-shooting,  mostly  at  live  pigeons.  While  1  was  a  90  per 
cent,  man  on  live  birds,  I  could  not  average  better  than  80 
or  85  per  cent,  on  artificial  targets.  And  speaking  of  arti- 
licial  targets,  Harry  Thomas  of  Morris  was  certainly  a  star 
shooting  inanimate  targets,  whether  clay  pigeons,  blue  rocks 
or  Peoria  blackbirds.  He  was  one  of  the  best  shots  in  this 
country  in  the  '80 's,  but  never  took  part  in  tournaments  in 
the  big  cities,  which  is  to  be  regretted,  for  he  would  certainh 
have  held  his  own  with  the  best.  He  was  not  nearly  so  good 
on  live  birds. 

Shooting  at  artificial  targets  seems  pretty  tame  sport  as 
compared  with  pigeon  shooting. 

For  myself  I  w^as  never  out  of  the  pioney  i^i  any  contest  at 
live  birds  in  which  I  participated  except  once  at  La  Salle, 
Illinois,  where  they  shot  me  put  on  the  ties.  All  the  events 
on  this  occasion  were  30  yards  rise,  use  pf  both  barrels,  and 
I  had  done  little  shooting  at  this  distance,  as  all  of  my  former 
live-bird  shooting  had  been  at  21  yards  rise,  use  of  one 
barrel.  As  an  illustration  of  the  difference  in  rise  I  will 
state  that  L.  S.  Carter,  of  Decatur,  Illinois,  shot  in  a  number 
of  sweepstakes  in  and  around  Morris  at  this  time  and  never 
won  a  purse  at  21  yards  rise,  although  he  was  one  of  the  best 
marksmen  in  America  at  that  time  at  30  yards  rise. 


J  30  ,  DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

W,  B.  Leffingwell  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  was  more 
difficult  to  make  a  good  score  at  21  yards  rise,  one  barrel, 
than  30  yards  rise,  use  of  both  barrels.  The  shorter  rise 
certainly  much  more  resembles  shooting  in  the  field. 

The  occasion  of  which  I  now  wish  to  relate  was  the  first 
public  sweepstakes  in  which  I  participated  and  I  was  a  boy 
of  16  or  17  at  that  time  and  the  youngest  shooter  to  take  part. 

The  match  was  7  birds,  21  yards  rise,  and  there  were  22 
entries.  Among  other  marksmen  present  were  Amos  and 
Robert  Orr  and  several  others  from  Dwight,  A.  F.  De  Steiger 
of  La  Salle,  a  number  from  Joliet  and  the  full  strength  of 
all  the  trap-shooters  in  Morris  and  vicinity. 

The  names  were  put  down  and  22  gun-wads  were  numbered 
from  1  to  22,  and  placed  in  a  hat,  and  a  number  was  with- 
drawn from  the  hat  after  the  bird  had  been  placed  in  the 
trap.  This  was  done  to  avoid  any  favoritism  in  giving  one 
shooter  an  easy  bird  and  another  a  hard  one.  The  shooter 
did  not  know  when  his  turn  would  come  until  his  number 
was  called. 

The  birds  were  a  fast  lot  of  country-bred  pigeons,  strong 
and  hearty,  and  there  were  very  few  incomers. 

At  the  end  of  the  sixth  round  A.  F.  De  Steiger,  Peter  Pell 
and  myself  were  the  only  ones  with  a  score  of  six  straight 
kills.  Further  than  that,  there  were  no  scores  of  5  out  of  6, 
but  the  nearest  score  to  us  was  4  out  of  6,  with  each  shooter 
yet  with  one  more  bird  to  shoot  at.  So  if  any  one  of  us  three 
leaders  missed  a  bird  and  the  other  two  scored,  the  one  get- 
ting 6  would  get  second  money  alone. 

De  Steiger  came  to  me  and  asked  me  what  I  was  going  to 
do.  As  for  himself,  he  was  going  to  try  and  kill  his  bird  and 
he  said  if  Pell  wanted  to  shoot  off  the  tie  with  him  he  was 


C5 


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9 

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n 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  131 

willing.  Pell  had  been  bragging  about  his  shooting,  but  I 
noticed  that  De  Steiger's  birds  were  killed  clean,  while,  al- 
though Pell's  score  was  the  same,  he  did  not  center  his  birds 
as  did  De  Steiger.  I  saw  that  De  Steiger  was  the  best  marks- 
man and  besides  was  shooting  a  very  fine  hammerless  gun 
which  would  be  effective  in  shooting  off  a  tie. 

I  began  to  wonder  whether  my  last  bird  would  be  a  hard 
one  or  not.  Whether  he  would  be  white,  black  and  white, 
dark  blue  or  brown.  Whether  he  would  be  an  incomer,  right 
or  left  quarterer  or  a  swift  driver,  close  to  the  ground.  And 
thanks  to  my  practice  in  duck  shooting,  any  kind  of  a  swift 
quarterer,  right  or  left,  or  a  towering  quarterer,  were  easy  to 
me.  The  right-quartering  driver  is  said  to  be  the  most  diffi- 
cult bird  for  a  right-handed  shooter  to  kill,  on  account  of  the 
tendency  to  shoot  behind  it. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  round  I  was  almost  the 
first  to  be  called  to  the  score.  I  thought  I  had  better  lose  a 
bird  and  have  second  money  all  to  myself,  as  the  other  two 
would  be  sure  to  score.  This  was  not  exactly  honest,  but  I 
was  so  much  younger  than  the  others  I  feared  age  and  ex- 
perience would  tell  in  shooting  off  a  tie.  So  I  missed  the 
bird  purposely. 

When  it  came  Pell's  turn  he  missed,  but  not  on  purpose. 
De  Steiger  got  a  very  swift  bird  and  also  missed. 

So  the  score  was  still  a  tie  among  the  three  leaders.  Pell 
said  we  had  better  divide  the  money  and  w^e  agreed. 

My  father  was  a  spectator  and  said  he  was  sorry  to  see  me 
miss  after  I  had  6  straight.  I  was  too  ashamed  to  tell  him 
I  had  allowed  the  bird  to  escape  purposely. 

This  was  the  first  and  last  pigeon  I  ever  missed  on  purpose. 


132  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

A  Journey  On  the  Mississippi. 


A  king  among  the  rivers!     On  thy  way 

A  hundred  towns  await  and  welcome  thee. — Longfellow. 


John  L.  Matthews  and  his  wife  left  Chicago  in  a  house- 
boat, passing  dowTi  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  the  Illinois 
River  and  into  the  Mississippi,  starting  in  October  and  finish- 
ing the  trip  at  New  Orleans  the  following  April.  He  has 
left  a  most  interesting  account  of  his  trip  in  book  form,  ''The 
Log  of  the  Easy  Way."  I  make  a  few  quotations  from  it, 
and  advise  anyone  contemplating  such  a  trip  to  read  the  book. 

"The  Mississippi!  The  Great  Water!  I  know  not  what  it 
is  about  the  Mississippi  that  lures  those  who  follow  it.  Its 
tongues  are  never  still.  It  makes  love  to  its  followers  with 
the  lisping  voices  of  its  incessant  swirls.  Again  it  readies 
out  fierce  waves  and  treacherous  currents  to  destroy  them. 

"The  Mississippi  is  to  us  a  river  not  of  sandbars  or  of 
scenery,  but  is  literally  a  peopled  river.  It  is  the  multitude 
which  peoples  the  Great  Water  that  remains  with  us  vividly 
to  this  day — a  multitude  which  changes  with  every  hour, 
and  yet  which  is  never  changed;  and  this  because  it  is 
the  river  itself  which  lures,  which  holds,  and  which  gives 
character,  so  that  those  who  float  upon  it,  who  fish  its  depths 
or  who  dwell  upon  its  banks  but  reflect  in  a  myriad  facets  the 
self-same  characteristics.  Meet  them  where  you  may,  these 
river  folk,  as  diverse  as  the  moods  of  the  Mississippi,  are  yet 
ever  the  same.  Our  first  days  upon  the  Great  AVater  brought 
us  in  touch  with  many  of  them. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  133 


an 


The  river  is  there;  and  on  its  bank  the  same  multitude 
listening  to  its  siren  whispers,  listening  to  the  mysterious,  the 
never-understood  yet  ever-appealing  murmuring  of  its  eddies, 
longing  endlessly  to  go,  as  these  were  going,  with  the  Father 
of  Waters,  wherever  his  spirit  might  choose  to  lead  them. 


(( I 


The  autumn  air  warmed  delightfully  in  the  morning  and 
the  golden  gleam  of  the  leaves  gave  it  even  a  warmer  appear- 
ance. Out  around  a  beautiful  cape  on  the  river  we  went, 
having  up  and  down  stream  a  gorgeous  view  of  nut-brown 
and  golden-bro\\Ti  hills,  fading  into  gray  in  the  distance.  A 
warm,  balmy,  southwest  wind  blew  gently  upon  us. 


i  i  { 


The  winter  was  now  over  and  we  were  still  traveling. 
It  was  a  real  spring  day.  Red  birds  and  mocking  birds  were 
singing  in  the  woods  and  their  song  came  clearly  to  us  over 
the  still  water.  Flowers  were  blooming  and  the  scent  of 
growing  things  was  sweet  to  us.  In  the  fields  and  on  the 
hills,  beside  the  river,  men  and  mules  were  at  work  putting 
in  the  cotton.  In  Illinois  corn  was  King,  but  here  cotton  was 
Kin  2-. 


'&• 


i  i- 


'We  have  met  many  picturesque  characters  on  our  trip, 
travelers,  tradesmen,  hunters,  fishermen,  lumbermen  and 
show-boat  people.  'I  have  been  on  the  river  three  years,'  a 
riverman  said  to  us.  'The  first  year  you  don't  like  it  very 
well,  but  you  think  it's  eas3\  The  second  year  you  have  your 
doubts  about  how  much  the  river  could  do  to  you  if  it  tried. 
The  third  year  you're  in  love  with  it,  but  you  haven't  any 
doubt  you're  afraid  of  the  river  every  minute,  sleeping  or 
waking. ' 


134  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

"We  still  remember  the  great  river  surrounded  by  the  songs 
of  birds,  the  sweet  odor  of  clover,  the  fresh  green  of  the  levee, 
and  the  mysterious  luring  whispers  of  the  mighty  river." — 
From  ''The  Log  of  the  Easy  Way,"  by  John  L.  Matthews. 


Making  a  Double. 


What  delightful  recollections  an  autumn  sunset  sometimes 
recalls !  Were  you  ever  in  the  marsh  when  the  sun  was  set- 
ting, tinging  the  western  sky  with  a  rose-tinted  glow,  and 
ducks  were  coming  to  your  decoys  with  great  regularity? 
Far  to  the  west  the  ducks  are  moving  in  great  clouds  in  their 
evening  flight,  and  dropping  into  the  marsh  with  reckless 
abandon  are  mallards,  widgeons,  pintails,  redheads,  and  now 
and  then  a  flock  of  canvasbacks.  A  pair  have  stolen  away 
from  the  many,  and  with  silent  flight  are  coming  do\vn  the 
marsh  gkimmering  the  rush  tips,  until  they  see  a  flock  of 
decoys,  then  they  make  a  wide  circuit  so  as  to  alight  up-wind 
among  them.  A  form  arises  from  the  rushes,  a  man  con- 
cealed so  well  that  they  did  not  see  him.  The  right  barrel 
of  his  gun  belches  forth  its  missiles  of  death,  and  then  the 
living  bird  shoots  up  into  the  air,  seeking  to  escape.  The 
hunter  sees  its  rising  flight,  he  holds  a  trifle  over  the  bird,  a 
quick  report,  the  bird  is  centered,  and  the  tiny  waves  recede 
from  the  first  bird  which  has  struck  the  water,  and  the  other 
has  been  stricken  with  death  and  is  with  its  mate. — William 
Bruce  Leffingivell. 


05 

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DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  135 

Queer  Experience  of  a  Duck  Hunter  Shooting  in  the 

Overflow. 


Nature  is  the  kindest  mother  still. — Byron. 


My  brother  and  myself  were  camped  below  Hennepin  on 
the  Illinois  and  were  shooting  in  the  overflowed  corn-fields 
and  timber  lands  during  the  Spring  flight.  We  had  our 
camp  on  a  little  knoll  on  the  river  bank  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  below  Hennepin  and  it  was  the  only  piece  of  land  for 
several  miles  along  the  river  bank  that  we  could  discover 
which  would  not  be  submerged  when  the  river  began  to  rise, 
as  it  would  rise  and  fall  every  few  days  following  storms. 

One  morning  I  left  the  camp  foT  a  day's  shooting,  not 
knowing  just  where  I  was  going  to  locate  for  the  day  with 
my  decoys  and  thought  I  would  prospect  around  until  I 
I  could  find  a  spot  to  set  out  my  decoys.  There  were  ducks 
constantly  on  the  move  overhead.  Occasionally  I  would  get 
a  shot  at  a  flock  of  mallards  over  the  tops  of  the  trees. 

I  was  back  some  distance  from  the  main  channel  and  T 
finally  returned  to  the  river  and  crossed  it  to  the  other  side. 
I  could  see  nothing  of  our  camp  and  estimated  I  was  about 
three  miles  below  it  on  the  river.  I  had  not  been  able  to 
keep  the  points  of  the  compass  very  well,  as  I  later  on 
discovered. 

Although  1  preferred  to  shoot  mallards  to  bluebills,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  afternoon  T  ran  across  a  spot  that  the  blue- 
bills  seemed  to  greatly  favor  as  a  resort  and  I  could  not 
resist  setting  out  my  decoys  for  a  while.  It  was  evidently 
a  pond  when  the  river  was  at  a  normal  stage  and  w^as  sur- 
rounded by  willow  trees,  making  an  excellent  cover  for  a 


136  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

boat.  At  a  little  distance  I  could  see  the  large  oak  trees 
bordering  the  Illinois  but  the  whole  country  was  under 
water  and  you  could  row  in  any  direction. 

There  was  a  good  flight  of  ducks  on  and  I  had  some  very 
good  shooting  at  bluebills.  I  was  back  from  the  main  chan- 
nel of  the  river  about  150  yards. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  happened  to  glance  across  the 
river  and  something  white  caught  my  eye.  I  looked  closer 
and  was  surprised  to  see  our  tent  on  the>  opposite  bank  of 
the  river.  I  was  astonished.  How  in  the  world  did  I  get 
where  I  was  or  had  the  tent  moved?  I  could  swear  I  had 
rowed  five  or  six  miles  and  was  away  below  our  camp  on 
the  river.  In  truth,  I  had  been  directly  across  from  our 
camp  on  the  river  all  afternoon  and  had  just  discovered  it. 
I  had  really  made  a  circuit  of  five  or  six  miles  and  had  re- 
turned nearly  to  where  I  had  started  from,  except  /  was  on 

the  opposite  side  of  the  river! 

♦     ♦     ♦ 

There  is  a  stretch  of  swift  water  on  the  Des  Plaines 
River  near  its  mouth,  and  I  once  floated  in  my  hunting  boat 
within  gunshot  of  a  large  flock  of  goldeneyes  who  were 
feeding  in  a  small  bay  just  off  the  main  channel  of  the 
river,  and  as  they  rose  I  fired  two  shots  and  six  ducks  fell. 
The  flock  flew  away  on  down  the  center  of  the  river  and 
after  they  had  gone  some  distance  suddenly  one  of  the  flock 
closed  his  wings  and  fell  dead  in  the  stream.  The  balance 
of  the  flock  continued  on  and  soon  another  one  fell,  then 
another  and  another,  until  four  had  fallen.  As  I  went  on 
down  the  river  the  four  ducks  were  picked  up  one  at  a  time, 
each  some  distance  from  the  other,  and  all  being  stone  dead. 
The  last  one  was  more  than  a  mile  from  where  I  had  shot 
into  the  flock. 


DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  137 

An  Interesting  Trip  to  Florida. 


Where  the  shadows  of  the  trees  unbroken  lie. — Rhymes  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


BY    FLOSSIE    RAY. 


Florida,  the  land  of  sunshine  and  orange  blossoms !  What 
magic  in  the  words!  What  pictures  of  the  lost  Eden  it  con- 
jures up!  Florida,  the  nation's  playground!  For  lol  these 
many  years,  we  had  been  casting  longing  eyes  toward  the 
sun-kissed  land  of  the  fabled  fountain  of  eternal  youth.  We 
had  longed  to  sit  on  the  margins  of  those  clear  lakes  mth 
casting  rod  and  creel.  Fish,  and  a  journey  to  Florida  and 
return,  were  the  principal  drawing  cards. 

Well,  we  hiked  in  short  order.  Leaving  our  little  city  in 
Eastern  Kentucky  on  April  the  7th,  via  the  C.  &  0. 
to  Winchester,  we  passed  through  the  beautiful  blue-grass 
region  of  Central  Kentucky,  thence  to  go  via  the  L.  &  N.  to 
Jacksonville,  Florida.  This  route  took  us  over  the  Cumber- 
lands,  which  presented  a  very  grand  and  rugged  picture. 
From  the  car  windows  we  saw  mountains  towering  miles 
high  with  spire-like  cliffs  resting  upon  their  summits  and 
fringed  with  laurel  and  ivy.  It  was  in  those  mountains 
that  my  father  and  his  old-time  friend,  the  "Cumberland 
Camper,"  trapped  and  hunted  for  years.  This  is  a  famous 
fox-hunting  section  and  I  was  glad  to  learn  from  the  good 
people  with  whom  I  talked  at  the  railway  stations,  that  this 
is  still  the  leading  sport  of  the  hunters  there. 

We  passed  on  through  East  Tennessee  to  Knoxville,  on  to 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  Macon  and  Waycross,  arriving  at  Jackson- 
ville, Florida,  safely.    Here  we  found  the  weather  conditions 


138  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

ideal.  Next  morning  we  took  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line,  going 
southwest  to  Ocala.  The  country  we  passed  through  was 
very  interesting.  The  trees  were  draped  with  Spanish  moss, 
which,  swaying  in  the  brisk  breeze,  presented  a  weird, 
strange  scene.  We  saw  along  this  route,  far  stretches  of 
turpentine  trees  and  many  sw^amps.  We  were  out  in  the 
country  several  miles  at  Ocala,  and  the  citizens  informed  us 
that  hunting  was  good  a  few  miles  farther  out.  We  saw 
quail  in  great  plenty. 

From  Ocala  we  passed  on  down  to  Lakeland.  Here  we 
found  an  ideal  little  city,  full  of  vim  and  surrounded  by  fine 
citrus  groves  and  truck  farms.  There  are  nine  beautiful 
lakes  within  the  corporate  limits  of  this  little  city  and  some 
of  them  teeming  with  fish.  It  was  here  in  the  largest  of 
those,  that  we  caught  our  first  Florida  fish!  We  found 
angling  here  very  fine  sport  at  first,  but  the  fact  is,  one 
catches  so  many  that  they  soon  tire  of  it.  On  making  a 
little  journey  into  the  country  near  Lakeland  we  found  the 
country  people  very  polite  and  sociable. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  Bowling  Green.  Here  we  found  a 
most  picturesque  little  city  and  truly  a  paradise  for  hunters 
and  sportsmen.  Suffice  to  say  that,  no  preventing  Provi- 
dence, we  mean  to  come  again  to  this  haven  of  rest  and 
enjoyment,  and  hunt  and  fish  to  our  heart's  content. 

On  down  the  peninsula  we  saw  fine  citrus  groves  and  truck 
farms.  Fort  Myers  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive  city  having 
the  air  of  a  frontier  town.  Here  in  the  edge  of  the  great 
Everglades  one  is  thrilled  by  the  prospects  of  outdoor  sport. 

Then  on  over  to  Lake  Okechobee,  the  hunter's  paradise! 
Never  mind,  we  have  found  the  hunting  grounds  when  the 
open  season  rolls  around  again! 


RUDDY  DUCK 


COPYRIGHT    1900,    BY   A.    W.    MUMFORO,    CHICAGO 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING   SKETCHES.  139 

Notes. 


Have  3^011  ever  stood  on  the  top  of  a  bold  bluff  and  looked 
out  over  a  peaceful  valley  where  the  shimmering  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  were  revealing  the  glistening  teardrops  of  Nature 
on  every  shrub  and  leaf,  and  the  call  of  the  wild  surged  in 
the  blood,  and  the  wish  entered  the  heart  that  the  dial  of  time 
might  be  turned  backward  for  fifty  years,  that  the  forest-clad 
liills  and  valleys  might  once  again  echo  to  the  cautious  tread 
of  the  timid  deer  and  other  wild  creatures! 

It  is  conceded  that  every  lover  of  Nature  has  felt  that  call ; 
it  is  the  remaining  instinct  of  primitive  man,  the  desire  to 
return  again — for  a  season  at  least — to  the  enchanting  haunts 

of  forest  and  stream, 

♦  •:♦    ♦ 

Indians  have  told  me  that,  when  camped  on  the  borders 
of  the  wild  rice  lakes  of  Minnesota  and  Manitoba,  it  was 
their  common  practice  to  enter  the  water,  and,  fixing  a  chap- 
let  of  rushes  or  grass  about  the  head,  to  wade  very  slowly 
close  to  the  flocks  of  unsuspecting  fowl,  and,  seizing  them  by 
the  feet,  to  draw  them,  one  by  one  beneath  the  water,  until 
enough  birds  had  been   obtained  to   supply   their  wants. — 

George  Bird  Grinnell. 

♦  ♦     ♦ 

The  population  in  this  country  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of 
fully  a  million  yearly  and  the  country  is  being  settled  more 
and  more  each  year.  Is  it  not  right  that  our  water-fowl 
should  have  more  protection  and  a  shorter  open  season  than 
formerly? 


140  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

With  the  Canvasbacks  at  Aux  Sable  Lake. 


Somewhere  the  ripples  on  the  water 
In  silver  patches  rest, 
Then  slowly  fade. 

— Bhymcs  of  Stream  and  Forest. 


Several  flocks  of  canvasbacks  had  been  feeding  undisturbed 
in  one  end  of  Aux  Sable  Lake  for  a  number  of  days  and  1 
had  been  watching  them  but  had  not  molested  them  as  I  was 
awaiting  the  proper  time  for  a  "killing."  I  knew  they  would 
not  leave  unless  some  other  hunter  should  get  in  there  ahead 
of  me.  However,  I  was  on  the  river  every  day  and  knew 
where  the  other  hunters  were  shooting  most  of  the  time. 
Besides,  it  was  hard  and  slow  work  getting  in  there  with  a 
boat,  so  I  did  not  fear  competition. 

Aux  Sable  Lake  lies  in  the  Illinois  River  valley  and  is  too 
far  from  the  river  to  carry  a  boat  over  conveniently.  The 
main  body  of  the  lake  is  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  long 
and  is  fed  by  springs  at  one  end.  At  the  other  end  of  the 
lake  there  is  an  outlet  by  means  of  a  small  creek  which 
winds  its  tortuous  way  through  some  small  ponds  and  heavy 
timber  to  Aux  Sable  Creek,  a  larger  stream,  which  flows  into 
the  Illinois  River.  The  navigation  up  this  small  creek  is  by 
no  means  easy,  as  there  are  logs  lying  across  the  channel  at 
various  points  and  the  volume  of  water  is  not  large. 

When  I  decided  that  the  time  was  ripe,  I  got  an  early 
start  one  November  morning,  with  fifty  canvasback  decoys 
in  my  boat,  and  after  a  couple  of  hours  of  liard  work  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  waters  of  the  lake  via  this  small  creek. 
I  drove  the  ducks  awav  from  where  they  were  feeding  with- 


Canvasbafk    Duck   Shooting,   Lony-  Lako,   Illinois;    Patiifk   Ciahaiii.   left.   Edward 

(haliani,  cPiiter;  Patrick  Griffin,  riyht. 


DUCK    SHOOTING   AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES.  141 

out  shooting  at  them  and  set  out  my  decoys.     In  a  little  while 
they  began  to  come  back,  and  I  had  some  splendid  shooting. 

During  the  afternoon  I  had  an  unusual  experience.  A 
fiock  of  five  canva shacks  came  into  tlie  decoys  directly  to- 
wards me,  as  the  wind  was  off  shore,  and  as  they  were 
hovering  over  the  decoys  with  their  heads  towards  me  and 
had  slackened  their  speed  and  were  about  to  alight,  I  shot 
the  first  barrel  of  my  Parker  at  them  where  they  were 
slightly  bunched  together.  At  the  report  of  the  gun  three 
of  the  grand  birds  fell.  Hastily  taking  aim  at  one  of  the 
survivors,  just  as  I  pulled  the  trigger  the  fifth  and  last  bird 
came  directly  into  line  with  the  one  I  was  aiming  at  and 
when  I  pulled  the  trigger  both  birds  fell  at  the  discharge 
of  the  second  barrel.     That  was  good  luck  with  a  vengeane. 

I  can  remember  killing  four  out  of  a  flock  of  five  ducks 
several  different  times  when  they  would  come  into  the  de- 
coys, but  this  is  the  only  time  T  can  remember  of  killing  an 
entire  flock  of  five  birds,  and  canvasbacks,  too! 

♦    •:♦    ♦ 

Altogether,  1  have  found  the  nests  and  eggs  of  nineteen 

species  of  ducks  and  seen  the  young  of  one  other.     A  very 

interesting  study  it  has  been  to  me.     The  breeding  habits  of 

wild  ducks  were  absolutel}'  unknown  in  Audubon's  day,  and 

even  to  the  present  little  has  appeared  in  books  about  them. 

— Herbert  K.  Job. 

♦    ♦    •:♦ 

If  we  are  going  at  this  last  minute  to  give  the  water-fowl 
a  chance  to  escape  extinction — as  the  new  Federal  Law  does 
through  its  prohibition  of  Spring  shooting — the  law  must  be 
strictly  enforced  in  all  the  States.  Every  sportsman  should 
rally  to  its  support. 


142  DUCK    SHOOTING    AND    HUNTING    SKETCHES. 

J  £ICK. 


Jack  was  a  dog  about  the  size  and  bnild  of  a  Gordon  setter. 
He  was  evidently  a  cross  between  a  setter  and  some  variety 
of  spaniel,  but  had  none  of  the  spaniel  characteristics.  His 
coat  was  dark  brown,  rich  and  glossy. 

What  made  him  still  more  valuable  as  an  all-around  dog- 
was  the  fact  that  he  would  point  any  of  our  game  birds,  sucli 
as  quail,  prairie  chickens,  woodcock  or  jack  snipe. 

Jack  was  a  splendid  retriever,  being  an  excellent  swimmei". 
He  had  a  very  sensitive  nose,  and  was  a  wonder  at  finding 
wounded  birds  in  any  kind  of  cover,  whether  in  the  rushes, 
long  grass  or  brush. 

He  was  very  intelligent  and  tractable,  something  you  can- 
not say  for  many  retrievers,  particularly  the  Irish  water 
spaniel. 

When  shooting  mallards  or  ]3in tails  in  the  corn-fields  Jack 
would  watch  the  flock  closely  after  you  fired  to  see  if  any 
fell  at  a  distance,  and  if  a  duck  began  to  lower  its  flight  from 
the  flock  he  would  start  after  it,  knowing  the  bird  was  mor- 
tally wounded  and  would  fall. 

Many  times  when  hunting  with  a  party  of  hunters  we  would 
miss  Jack  for  a  time  and  directly  he  would  come  running  up 
carrying  a  wing-broken  duck,  probably  wounded  the  day  be- 
fore, which  he  had  found  hidden  in  the  long  grass  or  rushes. 

He  would  cast  off  to  find  a  bird  in  any  direction  you  in- 
dicated to  him  by  a  wave  of  the  arm  when  at  a  distance  in 
a  corn-field  or  on  marshy  ground  when  he  had  to  retrieve 
more  than  one  bird  from  a  flock  and  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  make  several  trips  to  get  them  all. 


JACK." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 


Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
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UNiV 

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RECEIVED 

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